HC.SB    LIBRARY 


C^«/e^C«-»x^«_ 


STORIES 


OF  THE 


GORILLA  COUNTRY. 


NARRATED  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY  PAUL  DU  CHAILLU, 

AUTHOR  OF  "  DISCOVERIES  IN  EQUATORIAL  AFRICA,"  ETC.,  ETC 


4. 

NEW   YORK   AND    LONDON: 

HARPER   &   BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS, 
1903 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1867,  by 
HARPER   &   BROTHERS, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  thfc  Southern 
District  of  New  York. 

Copyright,  1895,  by  PAUL  Du  CHAILLU. 


PREFACE 


MY  DEAR  YOUNG  FOLKS, — 

My  publishers,  thinking  that  you  would  like  to  hear  of 
Friend  Paul,  have  just  published  specially  for  you  this  new 
edition  of  his  travels  in  Africa  in  five  little  volumes — Stories 
of  the  Gorilla  Country,  Wild  Life  Under  the  Equator,  Lost  in 
the  Jungle,  My  Apingi  Kingdom  (for  the  Apingi  people  made 
Friend  Paul  their  king),  and  The  Country  of  the  Dwarfs. 

When  Friend  Paul  returned  to  New  York  he  found  the 
young  folks  his  devoted  friends;  they  believed  in  him  and 
his  books. 

They  believed  in  the  great  forest  and  jungle  where  he  spent 
five  years. 

They  believed  in  the  horrid  gorilla,  and  in  the  encounters 
lie  had  with  that  huge  monster ;  they  believed,  too,  in  the 
other  apes  that  he  had  discovered,  the  Nshiego  Mbouve,  the 
Kooloo-kamba,  and  Nshiego  Nkengo.  Some  of  them  saw 
the  great  gorillas  and  the  other  apes  at  the  famous  publishing 
house  in  Franklin  Square.  They  believed  in  dear  little  Tom- 
my, and  Fighting  Joe ;  also  in  the  wonderful  animals,  insects, 
and  snakes  Friend  Paul  described. 

They  believed  in  all  the  tribes  of  wild  men  with  whom  he 
had  lived,  and  who  were  friends  of  his  ;  in  the  cannibals ;  and 
in  the  dwarfs.  With  him  they  loved  King  Ranpano,  Quen- 
gueza,  and  Obindji,  and  also  his  hunters,  Igala,  Fasiko,  Niam- 
kala,  Malaouen,  Kerlaouen,  and  others. 


iv  PREFA  CE. 

The  young  folks  believed  in  Friend  Paul,  for  he  was  one  of 
them,  a  lad  nearly  eighteen  years  old,  when  he  went  to  Africa 
the  first  time. 

When  he  lectured  to  the  young  folks  they  came  by  the 
thousands,  girls  and  boys,  to  proclaim  loudly  that  they  loved 
him  and  believed  in  him ;  and  when  he  put  on  the  clothes  ho 
wore  in  Africa,  with  all  his  weapons,  their  enthusiasm  knew 
no  bounds.  They  rushed  on  the  platform,  and  boys  and  girls 
shook  hands  and  kissed  him.  Oh,  how  happy  it  made  Friend 
Paul !  And  many  of  them  are  his  friends  to-day. 

Since  he  has  been  in  Africa  he  has  travelled  in  many  lands, 
and  written  other  books  for  old  folks.  One  of  these  lands  he 
has  called  "  The  Land  of  the  Midnight  Sun,"  and  soon  he  is 
going  to  write  for  the  young  folks  his  adventures  in  that 
wonderful  country  where  the  sun  shines  night  and  day.  There 
he  hunted  bears,  wolves,  and  other  animals,  and  in  winter  used 
reindeer  for  horses,  and  long  snow-shoes  to  walk  with. 

Since  he  wrote  about  the  dwarfs  many  of  the  young  folks 
have  become  mothers  and  fathers ;  and  it  is  for  their  children 
that  this  new  edition  is  published. 

Friend  Paul  himself  is  still  a  bachelor,  and  he  wants  the 
young  folks  of  to-day  to  love  him  as  their  parents  did. 

Your  faithful  friend, 

PAUL  Du  CHAILLU. 
NEW  YORK. 


CONTENTS. 


PRELIMINARY  CHAPTER Page  13 

CHAPTER  II. 

Arrival  on  the  Coast.- — A  King  and  his  Palace. — Dancing  and  Idol- 
worship 15 

CHAPTER  III. 

A  Week  in  the  Woods. — A  Tornado. — The  Leopards  prowling  about. 
— I  kill  a  Cobra  and  a  Scorpion. — Fight  with  a  Buffalo. — Hunting 
for  Wild  Boars. — A  Leopard  takes  a  Ride  on  a  Bull. — Sick  with 
the  Fever 25 

CHAPTER  IV. 
A  Village  on  the  Sea-shore. — Lying  in  wait  for  a  Leopard 34 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Bay  of  Corisco. — The  Mangrove-trees. — The  wonderful  Flocks 
of  Birds. — What  I  found  in  the  Pouch  of  a  Pelican. — How  an  old 
King  is  buried,  and  the  new  King  crowned 40 

CHAPTER  VI. 

An  old  Man  killed  for  Witchcraft. — My  Journey  to  the  Country  of 
the  Cannibals. — Starting  on  the  Route  48 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Our  Journey  through  the  Wildernoss  continued.  —  A  Rebellion  in 
Camp. — Nothing  to  eat. — I  shoot  a  Fish  and  miss  an  Elephant. — 
I  kill  a  big  Snake,  and  the  others  eat  him. — My  first  Sight  of  Go- 
rillas... ..  58 


Vl  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

I  arrive  among  the  Cannibals.  —  Then  Spears,  Bows,  and  Battle- 
axes. — They  take  me  for  a  Spirit. — Their  King  shakes  when  ha 
sees  me. — I  give  him  a  Looking-glass. — It  astonishes  him.. .  Page  72 

CHAPTER  IX. 
An  Elephant  Hunt 80 

CHAPTER  X. 

Life  among  the  Cannibals. — Curious  musical  Instruments. — Cooking 
Utensils. — A  Blacksmith's  Bellows  and  Anvil. — Cannibal  Diet ....  88 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Journey  to  Yoongoolapay. — Hunting  with  Nets. — The  terrible  Bash- 
ikouay  Ants !»."> 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Returning  to  the  Coast. — Caverns  and  Waterfalls  in  the  Highlands. 
— Crossing  a  River  on  Mangrove-roots. — Stirring  up  a  big  Snake. 
—A  mutual  Scare 101 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Cope  Lopez  and  an  open  Prairie  once  more. — King  Bango  and  his 
three  hundred  Wives. — His  five  Idols. — The  Slave  Barracoons.— 
The  Corpse  and  the  Vultures Ill 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Slave  Barracoons. — A  big  Snake  under  my  Bed. — A  Slave-ship 
off  the  Coast 117 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Going  into  the  Interior. — Sleeping  with  the  King's  Rats. — The  Chim- 
p:m/ce.  —  Kill  a  Gazelle. — Too  cold  to  sleep. — The  Gray  Par- 
tridge   122 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Hippopotamus. — A  Speck  of  War. — Reach  Ngola. — A  Sunday 
Talk.—  The  Black  Man's  God  and  the  White  Man's  God. — How 
Kin;,'  Njambai  punished  his  Wife.  —  We  build  an  Olako  in  the 
Woods 129 


CONTENTS.  vli 

CHAPTER  XVH. 

An  unsuccessful  Hunt  for  Elephants.  —  I  take  Aim  at  a  Buffalo. 
—A  Leopard  iu  the  Grass  near  us. — We  shoot  the  Leopard  and 
her  Kitten.  —  Great  Rejoicing  in  Camp.  —  Who  shall  have  the 
Tail?  —  A  Quarrel  over  the  Brains.  —  The  Guinea -hens. — The 
Monkeys Page  136 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Alone  in  Camp.— Hunting  for  Elephants. — Aboko  kills  a  Rogue.— 
I  cut  another  Python  in  two.  — We  shoot  some  Wild  Boars.  —A 
Buffalo  Hunt. — Return  to  Sangatanga.— King  Bango  sick 147 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

A  jolly  Excursion  Party.  — A  Race  for  the  Fishing  Banks. — The 
Oroungou  Burial-ground 153 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Our  Camp  at  Point  Fetich. — An  African  Watering-place. — Fishing, 
but  not  Bathing.  — The  Sharks.  —  Curing  Mullets,  etc. — Turning 
Turtles. — Bird-shooting. — A  Leopard  springs  upon  us...... 164 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Bound  for  the  Interior. — A  Sea  Voyage. — A  Tornado.— We  reach 
the  Fernand-Vaz. — Sangala,  wishes  to  detain  me. — A  Night  Alarm. 
— Prospect  of  a  War. — Arrayed  for  Battle. —A  Compromise.— 
My  Commi  Friends 171 

CHAPTER  XXH. 

I  build  a  Village,  and  call  it  Washington. — I  start  for  the  Interior. 
— My  Speech  on  leaving.— The  People  applaud  me  vociferously, 
and  promise  to  be  honest. — We  reach  Aniambia. — The  "  Eig 
King,"  Olenga-Yombi. — A  royal  Ball  in  my  Honor. — The  Super- 
stitions of  the  Natives.  — A  Man  tossed  by  a  Buffalo.  — We  cap- 
ture a  young  Gorilla 182 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Capture  of  a  young  Gorilla.  —  I  call  him  ''Fighting  Joe."  —  His 
Strength  and  bad  Temper. — He  proves  untamable. — Joe  escapes. 


viii  CONTENTS. 

—Recaptured.— Escapes  again.— Unpleasant  to  handle. — Death 

of  Fighting  Joe Page  l'J3 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Hie  Hippopotamus. — A  Duel. — Shooting  on  the  River.  —  Nearly 
upset. — A  Night  Hunt  on  Land. — My  Companion  fires  and  runs. 
—Appearance  and  Habits  of  the  Hippopotamus 203 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Visit  of  King  Quengueza. — I  promise  to  visit  him. — The  Kindness 
of  the  Commi.  —  The  dry  Season  on  the  Fernand-Vaz.  —  Plenty 
of  Birds  and  Fishes.  —  The  Marabouts.  —  The  Eagles.  —  A  bad 
Wound 212 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Another  Expedition  to  Lake  Anengue.  —  Difficult  Passage  up  the 
River. — The  Crocodiles. — King  Damagondai  and  his  Troubles. — 
I  buy  an  Mbuiti,  or  Idol 221 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

A  Visit  to  King  Shimbouvenegani. — His  royal  Costume. — Hunting 
Crocodiles.  —  How  they  seize  their  Prey.  —  The  Nkago.  —  The 
Ogato 228 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

The  Nshiego  Mbouve". — Bald-headed  Apes. — Their  Houses  in  the 
Trees. — Lying  in  wait  for  them. — We  kill  a  Male. — The  Shrieks 
of  his  Mate.  —  Description  of  the  Animal. — Farewell  to  Shim- 
bouvenegani  , 234 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

War  threatened. — Oshoria  arms  his  Men. — We  bluff  them  off, 
and  fall  sick  with  Fever. — The  Mbolo  Ivoga,  or  End  of  Mourn- 
ing Time. — A  Death  and  Burial. — Finding  out  the  Sorcerer. — 
The  Village  deserted. — I  become  Viceroy  at  WTashington 239 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

Hunting  in  the  Woods. — The  Mboyo  Wolf. — We  catch  another 
young  Gorilla. — He  starves  to  death ,....,, 249 


CONTENTS.  & 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Going  to  unknown  Regions. — Quengueza  sends  his  Son  as  a  Host- 
age.— I  take  him  along  with  me. — Reception  by  the  King. — Our 
Speeches.  —  Quengueza  afraid  of  a  Witch.  —  An  Incantation 
Scene Page  252 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Gorilla  Hunting. — My  Companions,  Mombon,  Etia,  and  Gambo.— 
Etia  kills  a  large  Gorilla. — We  make  up  a  large  Party. — Camp 
Stories  about  Gorillas. — We  capture  a  young  Gorilla. — Her  un- 
timely Death 258 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

Voyage  up  the  River. — We  build  a  Village  near  Obindji. — Quen- 
gueza's  Plan  for  keeping  the  Sabbath. — Kindness  of  the  Natives. 
—A  Trial  by  Ordeal 266 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

The  Kooloo-kamba. — The  Gouamba,  or  Meat-hunger. — Exploring 
the  Forest. — Gorilla-hunting. — Within  eight  Yards  of  a  large 
Gorilla. — He  roars  with  Rage  and  marches  upon  us 271 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

We  go  up  the  River  to  N'calai  Boumba. — A  severe  Attack  of  Fe- 
ver. —  The  tender  Care  ot  the  Natives  for  me.  —  Aguailai  ac- 
cuses his  People  of  bewitching  me. — I  go  out  and  quiet  him. — 
A  Boy  cut  to  Pieces  for  Witchcraft. — A  useful  Idol. — The  Ebo- 
ny-trees  „ 277 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

Hunting  for  Food. — We  kill  a  female  Nshiego  Mbouve. — A  young 
Nshiego  with  a  white  Face. — He  becomes  my  Pet  Tommy. — His 
Affection  for  me. — His  stealing  Pranks. — Tommy  gets  drunk.— 
His  Behavior  at  Meals. — His  sudden  Death.— Conclusion 282 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAOH 

PORTRAIT , Frontispiece. 

MY  RECEPTION  BY  THE  KING 15 

FIGHT  WITH  A  BUFFALO 24 

ENTICING  THE  LEOPARD 34 

FLOCKS  OF  BIRDS 40 

SCENE  WITH  THE  MBOUSHA 48 

KILLING  THE  SNAKE „ 59 

KlNG  ASTONISHED  AT  LOOKING-GLASS 72 

ENTRAPPING  THE  ELEPHANT , , 80 

FAN  BLACKSMITHS  AT  WORK 88 

THE  HANDJA 90 

NET-HUNTING 95 

MANGROVE  SWAMP.      TUMBLING  AND  FALLING 101 

SLAVE  BARRACOONS.      BURIAL-GROUND 110 

EMBARKING  SLAVES 117 

THE  GAZELLE , 122 

AFTER  DINNER 129 

A  LEOPARD  AND  HER  YOUNG  ONE 136 

ABOKO  KILLS  A  ROGUE  ELEPHANT ,.  146 

FISHING 158 

TURNING  TURTLES  JUST  BEFORE  SUNRISE 164 

OUR  SCHOONER  CAUGHT  IN  A  TORNADO 171 

AFRICAN  BALL.      KING  OLENGA-¥OMBI  DANCING 183 

CAPTURING  A  YOUNG  GORILLA 193 

HIPPOPOTAMI  AT  HOME 203 

MARABOUTS,  STORKS,  AND  PELICANS 213 

THE  KING  RECEIVES  ME 221 

A  CROCODILE  HUNT 228 

THE  NSHIEGO  MBOUVE 234 


Xii  LIST  OF  IL 1. 1  >•  7  'A'.  I  TIUNS. 

PAW 

EXPIRATION  OF  MOURNING 289 

WOLF-HUNTING -M'.t 

AN  INCANTATION  SCENK 252 

GORILLA-HUNTING :_'">:» 

A  TRIAL  BY  ORDEAL 2GG 

THE  GORILLA  MARCHES  UPON  Us 271 

THE  MUUITI , 277 

A  YOUNG  NSHIEGO  MBOUVB  WITH  A  WHITE  FACE 283 


PATH,  PIT  CHATI.LU  IN  HIS  AFRICAN  COSTUME. 


PEELIMINARY  CHAPTER. 

I  HAD  passed  several  years  on  the  African  Coast  before 
I  began  the  explorations  recorded  in  my  first  book.  In 
those  years  I  jbimted,  traded  with  the  natives,  and  made 
collections  in  natural  history. 

In  such  a  wild  country  as  Africa  one  does  not  go  far 
without  adventures.  The  traveler  necessarily  sees  what 
is  strange  and  wonderful,  for  every  thing  is  strange. 

In  this  book  I  have  attempted  to  relate  some  of  the 
incidents  of  life  in  Africa  for  the  reading  of  young  folks. 
In  doing  this  I  have  kept  no  chronological  order,  but 
have  selected  incidents  and  adventures  here  and  there  as 
they  seem  to  be  firfed  for  my  purpose. 

I  have  noticed  that  most  intelligent  boys  like  to  read 
about  the  habits  of  wild  animals,  and  the  manners  and 
way  of  life  of  savage  men ;  and  of  such  matters  this  book 
is  composed.  In  it  I  have  entered  into  more  minute  de- 
tails concerning  the  life  of  the  native  inhabitants  than  1 
could  in  my  other  books,  and  have  shown  how  the  people 


14 


STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 


build  their  houses,  what  are  their  amusements,  how  they 
hunt,  fish,  eat,  travel,  and  live. 

Whenever  I  am  at  a  friend's  house  the  children  ask 
me  to  tell  them  something  about  Africa.  I  like  chil- 
dren, and  in  this  book  have  written  especially  for  them. 
1  hope  to  interest  many  who  are  yet  too  young  to  read 
aiy  larger  works. 


MY  RECEPTION   BY   THE  KINQ. 


CHAPTER  II. 

ARRIVAL  CO*  THE  COAST. A  KING  AND  HIS  PALACE. DANC- 
ING AND  IDOL-WOKSIIIP. 

ABOUT  the  year  1850  a  three-masted  vessel  took  me  to 
a  wild  country  on  the  West  Coast  of  Africa,  near  the 
equator. 

It  was  a  very  wild  country  indeed. 

As  we  came  in  sight  of  the  land,  which  was  covered 
with  forest,  canoes  began  to  start  from  the  shore  toward 
us ;  and,  as  we  neared  the  land,  we  could  see  the  people 
crowding  down  on  the  beach  to  look  at  the  strange  sight 
of  a  vessel. 

The  canoes  approached  the  vessel  in  great  numbers. 
Some  of  them  were  so  small  that  they  looked  like  mere 
nutshells.  Indeed,  some  of  the  men  paddled  with  their 
feet;  and  one  man  carried  his  canoe  ashore  on  his 
shoulder. 


1C  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

At  last  the  natives  came  on  board,  and  what  funny 
people  they  were!  I  could  not  discern  one  from  an- 
other ;  they  seemed  to  me  all  alike. 

What  a  queer  way  of  dressing  they  had,  too !  You 
would  have  laughed  to  see  them.  Some  had  only  an  old 
coat  on.  Others  had  an  old  pair  of  trowsers  which  prob- 
ably had  belonged  to  some  sailor;  these  wore  no  shirt  or 
coat.  Some  had  only  an  old  ragged  shirt,  and  some, 
again,  had  nothing  on  except  an  old  hat.  Of  course 
none  of  them  had  shoes. 

How  they  shouted  and  halloed  as  they  came  about  the 
vessel !  They  seemed  to  speak  such  a  strange  language. 
No  one  on  board  appeared  to  understand  them.  They 
made  so  great  a  noise  that  I  thought  I  should  become  deaf. 

One  of  them  had  a  fowl  to  sell ;  another  brought  an 
egg  or  two ;  and  another  a  few  bunches  of  plantains. 

Our  captain  knew  the  coast,  for  he  had  long  been  an 
African  trader,  though  he  had  never  been  at  this  place 
before. 

The  ship  cast  anchor.  It  was  not  far  from  a  river 
called  Benito. 

I  left  the  vessel  and  went  ashore  with  some  others. 
As  I  landed  I  was  surrounded  immediately  by  crowds  of 
natives,  who  looked  so  wild  and  so  savage  that  I  thought 
they  would  kill  me  at  once. 

I  was  led  to  the  village,  which  stood  not  far  from  the 
sea,  and  was  hidden  from  view  by  the  very  large  trees 
and  the  great  forest  that  surrounded  it.  On  one  side  of 
the  village  was  a  prairie. 

I  shall  always  remember  this  village.  It  was  the  first 
African  village  I  had  ever  seen,  and  it  was  unlike  those 
b'lilt  in  Southern  Africa. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  MY  HOUSE.  17 

Don't  think  for  a  moment  that  I  am  going  to  speak  to 
yon  of  stone  or  wooden  houses !  No !  These  wild  peo- 
ple lived  in  queer  little  huts,  the  wralls  of  which  were 
made  of  the  bark  of  trees,  and  were  not  more  than  four 
or  five  feet  high.  The  top  of  the  roof  was  only  about 
seven  or  eight  feet  from  the  ground.  The  length  of 
these  huts  was  about  ten  or  twelve  feet,  and  they  were 
seven  or  eight  feet  wide.  There  were  no  windows,  and 
the  door  was  very  small.  They  immediately  took  me  to 
one  of  these  houses,  and  said  they  gave  it  to  me.  They 
meant  that  it  was  mine  as  long  as  I  would  stay  with  them. 
It  belonged  to  the  son  of  the  king. 

So  I  went  in.     But  where  was  I  to  sit  down  ? 

There  was  no  chair  to  be  seen. 

Patience,  thought  I.  These  people  had  probably  never 
seen  a  chair  in  their  lives.  It  wras  so  dark  I  could  not 
see  at  first.  By-and-by  I  saw  how  the  hut  was  furnished. 
There  were  some  calabashes  to  hold  water,  and  two  or 
three  cooking-pots.  There  \vere  some  ugly-looking  spears, 
an  axe,  and  two  or  three  large  and  queer-looking  knives, 
which  could  sever  the  head  of  a  man  at  one  blow.  Of 
course  I  looked  for  a  bed :  I  need  not  tell  you  there  wras 
none ;  but,  instead,  there  were  some  sticks  to  lie  upon. 
The  very  looks  of  this  sleeping-place  made  me  shudder ; 
I  thought  of  snakes,  scorpions,  and  centipedes.  The  dark 
hut  seemed  the  very  place  for  them.  Shortly  after  the 
king's  son  came.  If  I  remember  well,  his  name  was 
Andbke.  He  told  me  that  his  father,  the  king,  was  readj 
to  receive  me. 

The  king  ready  to  receive  me ! 

This  was  a  great  announcement.     I  must  dress. 

But  how  2 
2 


18  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

There  was  no  -washing-basin  to  wash  myself  in;  be- 
sides,  I  had  forgotten  my  soap. 

I  was  glad  I  had  no  beard  at  that  time,  for  I  do  not 
know  how  I  could  have  shaved. 

In  short,  I  resolved  to  go  and  see  his  majesty  as  I  was. 

The  sun  being  very  warm,  I  took  my  umbrella  with 
me.  The  people  conducted  me  to  the  royal  palace. 

What  do  you  suppose  a  palace  to  be  in  the  Benito 
country  ?  The  king's  palace  was  made  of  the  same  ma- 
terial (bark  of  trees)  as  the  houses  I  have  just  described 
to  you,  and  it  was  only  about  twice  as  big. 

As  I  entered  I  went  toward  the  king,  who  was  seated 
on  a  stool.  Another  empty  stool  was  by  his  side. 

I  may  say  that  Apourou  —  such  was  the  king's  name  — 
did  not  come  up  to  my  ideas  of  a  king.  In  fact,  I  should 
have  laughed  at  him  had  I  dared. 

His  costume  was  composed  of  a  red  soldier's  coat,  and 
he  wore  a  little  bit  of  calico  round  his  waist.  That  was 
all.  You  must  understand  he  had  no  shirt. 

He  was  a  tall,  slim  negro,  with  gray  hair,  and  had  large 
scars  on  his  face,  and  his  whole  body  was  covered  with 
tattoos.  He  wore  large  earrings.  He  was  smoking  a  i  >ig 


He  looked  at  me,  and  I  looked  at  him. 

The  room  was  full  of  people,  and  the  king  had  several 
of  his  wives  around  him.  The  queen  was  there.  Would 
you  believe  it?  in  that  country  a  man  marries  as  many 
wives  as  he  chooses  ! 

The  king  looked  at  me  for  a  long  time  without  saying 
a  word.  Finally  he  opened  his  mouth,  clapped  his  hands, 
and  said  I  was  a  funny-looking  fellow. 

He  next  said  he  was  very  glad  to  see  me,  and  would 


I  AM  DESIRED  TO  MARRY.  19 

lake  care  of  me.     Then  he  touched  my  hair,  and  said  1 
must  give  him  some.     He  would  like  to  have  me  remain 

<D 

with  him  always.     At  this  the  people  shouted, "  We  want 
the  ntangani  to  stay  with  us !" 

What  do  you  think  he  did  next  ? 

He  quietly  proposed  to  me  that  I  should  get  married 
to  some  of  his  country-women ;  and  added  that  whom- 
soever I  should  choose  would  become  my  wife.  The 
suggestion  was  received  by  all  the  people  with  a  tre- 
mendous grunt  of  approval,  to  show  that  they  thought 
just  as  their  king.  Then  they  shouted,  "  The  girl  he 
likes  he  shall  marry !" 

I  said,  "  I  don't  want  to  get  married ;  I  am  too  young:" 
I  did  not  want  to  tell  him  that  I  would  not,  for  all  the 
world,  marry  one  of  his  people. 

It  was  getting  very  warm  in  the  hut,  and  there  was  a 
strong  odor.  The  people  were  packed  so  close  together 
that  they  reminded  one  of  herrings  in  a  barrel,  and  you 
must  remember  I  said  the  house  had  no  windows. 

Then  the  king  presented  me  with  one  fowl,  two  eggs, 
and  one  bunch  of  plantain  ;  and  as  I  went  away  he  said 
I  had  better  give  him  my  umbrella.  But  I  went  off  as 
if  I  had  not  heard  what  he  said.  I  thought  it  was  rather 
too  much  for  a  king  to  ask  a  stranger  to  give  up  his  um- 
brella. I  had  just  begun  to  learn  what  African  kings 
were. 

The  people  followed  me  every  where ;  I  wish  I  could 
have  understood  their  language.  One  man  could  talk 
English,  and  I  am  going  now  to  give  you  a  specimen  of 
his  English. 

When  he  thought  I  must  be  hungry,  he  said, "  Want 


20  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

chop?  "Want  chop?"  When  he  saw  that  I  could  not 
understand  what  he  meant,  lie  made  signs  with  his  handn 
and  mouth,  which  at  once  explained  to  me  that  hci  had 
asked  me  if  I  wanted  to  eat.  I  said  "Yes;"  and  after 
a  while,  some  cooked  plantains,  with  some  fish,  wm: 
brought  to  me.  I  did  not  care  for  the  plantains;  it  \va.s 
the  first  time  I  had  ever  tasted  them. 

After  my  meal,  I  walked  through  the  street  of  the  vil- 
lage and  came  to  a  house,  in  the  recess  of  which  I  sa\v 
an  enormous  idol.  I  had  never  in  all  my  life  seen  such 
an  ugly  thing.  It  was  a  rude  representation  of  some 
human  being,  of  the  size  of  life,  and  was  made  of  wood. 
It  had  large  copper  eyes,  and  a  tongue  of  iron  which  shot 
out  from  its  mouth  to  show  that  it  could  sting.  The 
lips  were  painted  red.  It  wore  large  iron  earrings.  Its 
head  was  ornamented  with  a  feather  cap.  Most  of  the 
feathers  were  red,  and  came  from  the  tails  of  gray  par- 
rots, while  the  body  and  face  were  painted  red,  white, 
and  yellow.  It  was  dressed  in  the  skins  of  wild  animals. 
Around  it  were  scattered  skins  of  tigers  and  s-Tprnts, 
and  the  bones  and  skulls  of  animals.  Sonic  food  also 
was  placed  near,  so  that  it  might  eat  if  it  chose. 

It  was  now  sunset,  and  night  soon  set  in  over  the 
village.  For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  stood  alone  in 
this  dark  world,  surrounded  by  savages,  without  any 
white  people  near  me.  There  was  no  light  in  the  street, 
and  only  the  reflection  of  the  fires  could  be  seen  now  and 
then.  How  dismal  it  was ! 

I  looked  at  my  pistols  and  my  guns,  and  was  glad  to 
find  that  they  were  in  good  order. 

By-and-by  the  people  began  to  come  out  of  their  huts, 
and  I  saw  some  torches  lighted,  and  taken  toward  the 


DANCING  AND  IDOL-WORSHIP.  21 

large  mbuiti,  as  they  call  the  idol,  and  there  placed  on 
the  ground.  The  large  drums  or  tom-toms  were  also 
carried  there,  and  the  women  and  men  of  the  village 
gathered  around.  The  tom-toms  beat ;  and,  soon  after, 
I  heard  the  people  singing.  I  went  to  see  what  was  the 
matter. 

"What  a  sight  met  my  eyes ! 

The  men  had  their  bodies  painted  in  different  colors. 
Some  had  one  cheek  red  and  the  other  white  or  yellow. 
A  broad  white  or  yellow  stripe  was  painted  across  the 
middle  of  the  chest  and  along  both  the  arms.  Others 
had  their  bodies,  spotted.  Most  ngly  they  looked !  The 
women  wore  several  iron  or  brass  rings  around  their 
wrists  and  ankles. 

Then  the  singing  began,  and  the  dancing!  I  had 
never  seen  such  dancing  before.  It  was  very  ungrace- 
ful. The  drummers  beat  on  the  tom-toms  with  all  their 
might.  As  they  became  warm  with  exertion  their  bodies 
shone  like  seals,  so  oily  were  they. 

I  looked  and  looked,  with  my  eyes  wide  open ;  I  was 
nearly  stunned  with  the  noise.  As  the  women  danced 
and  sung,  the  brass  and  iron  rings  which  they  wore 
struck  against  each  other,  and  kept  time  with  the  music 
and  the  beating  of  the  tom-toms. 

But  why  were  they  all  there,  dancing  and  screeching 
around  the  idol  ?  I  will  tell  you. 

They  were  about  to  start  on  a  hunting  expedition,  and 
they  were  asking  the  idol  to  give  them  good  luck  in 
their  sport. 

When  I  found  it  was  to  be  a  hunting  expedition,  I 
wanted  to  go  at  once  with  these  savages,  though  I  was 
only  a  lad  under  twenty  years  old. 


22  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

I  retired  to  my  hut  with  a  valiant  heart ;  I  was  going 
to  do  great  things. 

If  ^ou  had  been  in  my  place,  boys,  would  you  not  have 
felt  the  same  ?  Would  you  have  left  the  gorillas  alone  1 
I  am  sure  you  all  shout  at  once, "  No !  no !"  Would  you 
have  left  the  elephants  go  unmolested  in  the  forest? 
"  Certainly  not,"  will  be  your  answer. 

And  what  about  the  chimpanzee,  and  the  big  leopards 
who  carry  away  so  many  people  and  eat  them,  the  huge 
buffaloes,  the  wild  boars,  the  antelopes,  and  the  gazelles  ? 

Would  you  have  left  the  snakes  alone  ? 

Perhaps  you  are  all  going  to  say  "  Yes"  to  that ;  and  I 
think  you  are  right,  for  many  of  these  snakes  are  very 
poisonous,  and  they  are  numerous  in  these  great  forests ; 
for  the  country  I  am  telling  you  about  is  nothing  but  an 
immense  jungle.  When  a  man  is  bitten  by  one  of  these 
snakes  he  often  dies  in  a  few  minutes.  There  is  also  to 
be  found  in  those  woods  an  immense  python,  or  boa,  that 
swallows  antelopes,  gazelles,  and  many  other  animals.  I 
shall  have  a  good  deal  to  tell  you  about  them  by-and-by. 

So  I  resolved  that  I  would  try  to  see  all  these  native 
tribes ;  that  I  would  have  a  peep  at  the  Cannibals ;  that 
I  would  have  a  good  look  also  at  the  dwarfs. 

I  am  sure  that,  if  any  one  of  you  had  been  with  me  oa 
that  coast,  you  would  have  said  to  me, "  Du  Chaillu,  let 
us  go  together  and  see  all  these  things,  and  then  come 
back  home  and  tell  the  good  folks  all  we  have  seen." 

Yes,  I  am  certain  that  every  one  of  you  would  have 
felt  as  £  did. 


CHAPTER  III. 

A    WEEK    IN    THE    WOODS. A    TOKNADO. THE    LEOPARDS 

PROWLING   ABOUT. — I  KILL  A  COBRA  AND   A    SCORPION. 

FIGHT  WITH  A  BUFFALO. — HUNTING    FOR   WILD   BOARS. 

A   LEOPARD   TAKES  A  RIDE   ON   A   BULL. — SICK  WITH   THE 
FEVER. 

Now,  boys,  fancy  yourselves  transported  into  the  midst 
of  a  very  dense  and  dark  forest,  where  the  trees  never 
shed  their  leaves  all  at  one  time,  where  there  is  no  food 
to  be  had  except  what  you  can  get  with  your  gun,  and 
where  wild  beasts  prowl  around  you  at  night  while  you 
sleep. 

I  found  myself  in  such  a  place, 

Immediately  after  we  arrived  in  those  gloomy  soli- 
tudes we  began  to  build  an  olako  to  shelter  us  from  the 
rains. 

I  must  tell  you  that  Benito  is  a  very  strange  country. 
It  is  situated,  as  you  have  seen  by  the  map,  near  the 
equator.  Of  course"  you  know  what  the  equator  is  ? 
There,  at  a  certain  time  of  the  year,  the  sun  is  directly 
above  your  head  at  noon,  and  hence  it  is  the  hottest  part 
of  the  earth.  The  clays  and  nights  are  of  the  same 
length.  The  sun  rises  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
the  sunset  takes  place  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
There  is  only  a  difference  of  a  few  minutes  all  the  yeat 
round.  There  is  no  twilight,  and  half  an  hour  before 
sunrise  or  after  sunset  it  is  dark.  There  is  no  snow 


26  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

except  on  very  high  mountains.  There  is  no  winter. 
There  are  only  two  seasons — the  rainy  season  and  the 
dry  season.  Our  winter-time  at  home  is  the  time  of  the 
rainy  season  in  Equatorial  Africa,  and  it  is  also  the 
hottest  period  of  the  year.  It  rains  harder  there  than 
in  any  other  country.  No  such  rain  is  to  be  witnessed 
either  in  the  United  States  or  Europe.  And  as  to  the 
thunder  and  lightning,  you  never  have  heard  or  seen  the 
like ;  it  is  enough  to  make  the  hair  of  your  head  stand 
on  end !  Then  come  the  tornadoes,  a  kind  of  hurricane 
which,  for  a  few  minutes,  blows  with  terrible  violence, 
carrying  before  it  great  trees.  How  wild  the  sky  looks ! 
How  awful  to  see  the  black  clouds  sweeping  tlirough  the 
sky  with  fearful  velocity ! 

So  you  will  not  wonder  that  we  busied  ourselves  in 
preparing  our  shelter,  for  I  remember  well  it  was  in  the 
month  of  February  We  took  good  care  not  to  have  big 
trees  around  us,  for  fear  they  might  be  hurled  upon  us 
by  a  tornado,  and  bury  us  all  alive  under  their  weight. 
Accordingly,  we  built  our  olako  near  the  banks  of  a 
beautiful  little  stream,  so  that  we  could  get  as  much  wa- 
ter as  we  wanted.  Then  we  immediately  began  to  fell 
trees.  We  carried  two  or  three  axes  with  us,  for  the  axe 
is  an  indispensable  article  in  the  forests.  With  the  foli- 
age we  made  a  shelter  to  keep  off  the  rain. 

While  the  men  were  busy  building  the  olako,  the 
women  went  in  search  of  dried  wood  to  cook  our  supper. 
We  had  brought  some  food  from  the  village  with  us. 

We  were  ready  just  in  time.  A  most  terrific  tornado 
came  upon  us.  The  rain  poured  down  in  torrents.  The 
thunder  was  stunning.  The  lightning  flashed  so  vividly 
and  often  as  nearly  to  blind  us. 


WILD  BOAR  A  FA  VORITE  ~£>ISH.  27 

Our  dogs  had  hidden  themselves — indeed,  all  animala 
and  birds  of  the  forest  were  much  frightened,  which  waa 
not  to  be  wondered  at.  How  thankful  I  was  to  be  shel- 
tered from  such  a  storm !  We  had  collected  plenty  of 
fuel,  and  our  fires  burned  brightly. 

"We  formed  a  strange  group  while  seated  around  the 
fires,  the  men  and  women  smoking  their  pipes  and  telling 
stories.  We  had  several  fires,  and,  as  they  blazed  up, 
their  glare  was  thrown  out  through  the  gloom  of  the 
forest,  and  filled  it  with  fantastic  shadows.  Though 
tired,  every  body  seemed  merry.  We  were  full  of  hope 
for  the  morrow.  Every  one  spoke  of  the  particular  ani< 
mal  he  wished  to  kill,  and  of  which  he  was  most  fond 
Some  wished  for  an  antelope,  others  for  an  elephant,  a 
wild  boar,  or  a  buifalo.  I  confess  that  I  myself  inclined 
toward  the  wild  boar ;  and  I  believe  that  almost  every 
one  had  the  same  wish,  for  that  animal,  when  fat,  is  very 
good  eating.  Indeed,  they  already  began  to  talk  as  if 
the  pig  were  actually  before  them.  All  fancied  they 
could  eat  a  whole  leg  apiece,  and  their  mouths  fairly 
watered  in  thinking  about  it.  No  wonder  they  are  so 
fond  of  meat,  they  have  it  so  seldom.  Who  among  UB 
does  not  relish  a  good  dinner,  I  should  like  to  know  ? 

By-and-by  all  became  silent ;  one  after  the  other  we 
fell  asleep,  with  the  exception  of  two  CT  three  men  who 
were  to  watch  over  the  fires  and  keep  them  bright;  for 
there  were  plenty  of  leopards  prowling  in  the  neighbor- 
ing forest,  and  none  of  us  wanted  to  serve  as  a  meal  for 
them.  In  fact,  before  going  to  sleep  we  had  heard  some 
of  these  animals  howling  in  the  far  distance.  During 
the  night  one  came  very  near  our  camp.  He  went  round 
and  round,  and,  no  doubt,  lay  in  wait  to  see  if  one  of  us 


28  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

would  go  out  alone,  and  then  he  would  have  pounced 
upon  the  careless  fellow.  I  need  not  say  we  did  not  give 
him  a  chance;  and  you  may  be  sure  we  kept  the  liiv 
blazing.  Finally,  we  tired  a  few  guns,  and  he  went  off. 

These  leopards  are  dreadful  animals,  and  eat  a  great 
many  natives.  They  are  generally  shy;  but  once  they 
have  tasted  human  flesh,  they  become  very  fond  of  it, 
and  the  poor  natives  are  carried  off,  one  after  another,  in 
such  numbers  that  the  villages  have  to  be  abandoned. 

The  next  day  we  went  hunting.  I  had  hardly  gone 
into  the  forest  when  I  saw,  creeping  on  the  ground  un- 
der the  dry  leaves,  an  enormous  black  snake :  I  fancy  I 
see  it  still.  How  close  it  was  to  me!  One  step  mure, 
and  I  should  have  just  trodden  upon  it,  and  then  should 
have  been  bitten,  and  a  few  minutes  after  have  died, 
and  then,  boys,  you  know  I  should  have  had  nothing  to 
tell  you  about  Africa.  This  snake  was  a  cobra  of  the 
black  variety  (Dendrapspis  angusticeps).  It  is  a  very 
common  snake  in  that  region,  and,  as  I  have  said,  very 
poisonous. 

As  soon  as  the  reptile  saw  me  he  rose  up,  as  if  ready 
to  spring  upon  me,  gave  one  of  his  hissing  sounds,  and 
looked  at  me,  showing,  as  he  hissed,  his  sharp-pointed 
tongue.  Of  course,  the  first  thing  I  did  was  to  make  a 
few  steps  backward.  Then,  leveling  my  gun,  I  tired  and 
killed  him.  He  was  about  eight  feet  long.  I  cut  his 
head  off,  and  examined  his  deadly  fangs.  What  horrible 
things  they  were !  They  looked  exactly  like  fish-bones, 
witli  very  sharp  ends.  I  looked  at  them  carefully,  and 
saw  that  he  could  raise  and  lower  them  at  will ;  while 
the  teeth  are  firmly  implanted  in  a  pouch,  or  little  bag, 
wliich  contains  the  poison.  I  saw  in  the  end  of  the  fang 


I  KILL  A  COBRA  AND  A  SCORPION.  29 

a  little  hole,  which  communicated  with  the  pouch.  When 
the  snake  opens  his  mouth  to  bite,  he  raises  his  fangs. 
Then  he  strikes  them  into  the  flesh  of  the  animal  he 
bites,  and  brings  a  pressure  on  the  pouch,  and  the  poison 
comes  out  by  the  little  hole  I  have  spoken  of. 

I  cut  open  the  cobra,  and  found  in  his  stomach  a  very 
large  bird.  Andeke  packed  the  bird  and  snake  in  leaves, 
and,  on  our  return  to  the  camp,  the  men  were  delight- 
ed. In  the  evening  they  made  a  nice  soup  of  the  snake, 
which  they  ate  with  great  relish. 

I  had  also  killed  a  beautiful  little  striped  squirrel, 
upon  which  I  made  my  dinner.  I  felt  almost  sorry  to 
kill  it,  it  was  such  a  pretty  creature. 

In  the  evening,  as  I  was  sitting  by  the  fire  and  look- 
ing at  the  log  that  was  burning,  I  spied  a  big,  ugly  black 
scorpion  coming  out  of  one  of  the  crevices.  I  immedi- 
ately laid  upon  its  back  a  little  stick  which  I  had  in  my 
hand.  You  should  have  seen  how  its  long  tail  llew  up 
and  stung  the  piece  of  wood !  I  shuddered  as  I  thought 
that  it  might  have  stung  my  feet  or  hands  instead  of  the 
wood.  I  immediately  killed  it,  and  the  natives  said  these 
scorpions  were  quite  common,  and  that  people  have  to 
be  careful  when  they  handle  dry  sticks  of  wood,  for  these 
poisonous  creatures  delight  to  live  under  the  dry  bark, 
or  between  the  crevices. 

A  nice  country  this  to  live  in,  thought  I,  after  killing 
a  snake  and  a  scorpion  the  same  day ! 

So,  when  I  lay  down  on  my  pillow,  which  was  merely 
a  piece  of  wood,  I  looked  to  see  if  there  were  any  scor- 
pions upon  it.  I  did  not  see  any ;  but,  during  the  night, 
I  awoke  suddenly  and  started  up.  I  thought  I  felt  hund- 
reds of  them  creeping  over  me,  and  that  one  had  just 


30  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

stung  me,  and  caused  me  to  wake  up.  The  sweat  cov< 
ered  my  body.  I  looked  around  and  saw  nothing  but 
sleeping  people.  There  was  no  scorpion  to  be  found. 
I  must  have  been  dreaming. 

Not  far  from  our  camp  was  a  beautiful  little  prairie. 
I  had  seen,  during  my  rambles  there,  several  footprints 
of  wild  buffaloes,  so  I  immediately  told  Andeke  we  must 
go  in  chase  of  them.  Andeke,  the  son  of  the  king,  was 
a  very  nice  fellow,  and  was,  besides,  a  good  hunter — just 
the  very  man  I  wanted. 

So  we  went  toward  the  little  prairie,  and  lay  hidden 
on  the  borders  of  it,  among  the  trees.  .By-and-by  I  spied 
a  huge  bull,  who  was  perfectly  unaware  of  my  presence, 
for  the  wind  blew  from  him  to  me ;  had  the  wind  blown 
the  other  way,  the  animal  would  have  scented  me  and 
have  made  off.  As  it  was,  he  came  slowly  toward  me. 
I  raised  my  gun  and  fired.  My  bullet  struck  a  creeper 
on  its  way,  and  glanced  aside,  so  I  only  wounded  the 
beast.  Turning  fiercely,  he  rushed  at  me  in  a  furious 
manner,  with  his  head  down.  I  was  scared ;  for  I  was, 
at  that  time,  but  a  young  hunter;  I  got  ready  to  run, 
though  I  had  a  second  barrel  in  reserve.  I  thought  the 
infuriated  bull  was  too  powerful  for  me,  he  looked  so 
big.  Just  as  I  was  about  to  make  my  escape,  I  found 
my  foot  entangled  and  hopelessly  caught  in  a  tough  and 
thorny  creeper.  The  bull  was  dashing  toward  me  with 
head  down  and  eyes  inflamed,  tearing  down  brushwood 
and  creepers  which  barred  his  progress.  Turning  to 
meet  the  enemy,  I  felt  my  nerves  suddenly  grow  firm  as 
a  rock.  If  I  missed  the  bull,  all  would  be  over  with  me. 
He  would  gore  me  to  death.  I  took  time  to  aim  care* 
fully,  and  then  fired  at  his  head.  lie  gave  one  loud, 


I  KILL  MY  FIRST  BUFFALO.  3] 

hoarse  bellow,  and  tumbled  almost  at  my  feet.  In  the 
mean  time,  Andeke  was  coming  to  the  rescue. 

I  must  say  I  felt  very  nervous  after  all  was  over. 
But,  being  but  a  lad,  I  thought  -I  had  done  pretty  well. 
It  was  the  first  direct  attack  a  wild  beast  had  ever  made 
upon  me.  I  found  afterward  that  the  bulls  are  gener 
ally  very  dangerous  when  wounded. 

Now  I  must  tell  you  how  this  beast  looked.  He  was 
one  of  the  wild  buffaloes  frequently  to  be  met  with  in 
this  part  of  Africa.  During  the  greater  part  of  the  day 
they  hide  in  the  forest.  When  much  hunted  they  be- 
come very  shy.  They  are  generally  found  in  herds  of 
from  ten  to  twenty-five,  though  I  have  found  them  some- 
times in  much  greater  number. 

This  animal  (Bos  brachicheros)  is  called  by  some  of 
the  natives  "  mare*."  It  is  of  the  size  of  our  cattle.  It 
is  covered  with  thin  red  hair,  which  is  much  darker  in 
the  bull  than  in  the  cow.  The  lioofs  are  long  and  sharp ; 
the  ears  are  fringed  with  most  beautiful  silky  hair ;  the 
horns  are  very  handsome,  and  bend  backward  in  a  grace- 
ful curve.  In  shape,  the  buffalo  looks  like  something  be- 
tween an  antelope  and  a  common  cow ;  and,  when  seen 
afar  off,  you  might  think  these  wild  buffaloes  were  a  herd 
of  our  cattle  at  home. 

How  glad  the  people  were  when  Andeke  and  I  brought 
the  news  that  we  had  killed  a  bull !  There  was  great 
rejoicing.  But  I  was  tired,  and  remained  in  the  camp, 
while  they  went  with  knives  and  swords  to  cut  the  buf- 
falo to  pieces,  and  bring  in  the  flesh. 

What  a  fine  place  it  was  for  hunting!  The  animals 
seemed  to  come  down  from  the  mountains  beyond,  and 
remain  in  the  flat  woody  country  along  the  sea-shore. 


32  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

There  were  a  great  many  wild  boars.  You  know  we 
all  wanted  one  of  these.  So  one  night  Andcku  and  I 
agreed  to  go  and  lie  in  wait  for  them  on  the  prairie. 
In  order  to  look  like  Andeke",  I  blackened  my  face  and 
hands  with  charcoal,  so  that  in  the  night  the  color  of  my 
face  could  not  be  distinguished. 

We  started  from  the  camp  before  dark,  and  readied 
the  prairie  before  night.  I  stationed  myself  behind  a 
large  ant-hill  not  far  from  the  open  space.  There  I  lay ; 
one  hour  passed — two  hours — three  hours,  and  still  nei- 
ther wild  boar  nor  buffaloes.  I  looked  at  Andeke.  lie 
was  fast  asleep,  at  the  foot  of  another  ant-hill  close  by. 
Once  I  saw  a  whole  herd  of  gazelles  pass  by ;  but  they 
were  too  far  from  me.  Occasionally  a  grunt,  or  the 
cracking  of  a  twig,  told  me  that  a  wild  boar  was  not  fai 
off.  At  last  every  thing  became  silent,  and  I  fell  asleep 
unconsciously. 

Suddenly  I  was  awakened  by  an  unearthly  roar — the 
yel  I  of  a  wild  beast. 

I  rubbed  my  eyes  in  a  hurry — what  could  be  the  mat 
ter? 

I  looked  round  me,  and  saw  nothing.  The  woods 
were  still  resounding  with  the  cry  that  had  startled  me. 
Then  I  heard  a  great  crash  in  the  forest,  made  by  some 
Aeavy  animal  running  away.  Then  I  saw  emerge  from 
the  forest  a  wild  bull,  on  whose  neck  crouched  an  im- 
mense leopard.  The  poor  buffalo  reared,  tossed,  roared, 
and  bellowed,  but  in  vain.  The  leopard's  enormous  claws 
were  firmly  fixed  in  his  victim's  body,  while  his  teeth 
were  sunk  deeply  in  the  bull's  neck.  The  leopard  gave 
an  awful  roar,  which  seemed  to  make  the  earth  shake 
Then  both  buffalo  and  leopard  disappeared  in  the  forest^ 


I  HA  YE  AN  A  TTA  CK  OF  FE  VEtt.  33 

and  the  roars  and  the  crashing  of  the  trees  soon  ceased. 
All  became  silent  again. 

I  had  fired  at  the  leopard,  but  it  was  too  far  off. 

We  staid  a  week  here,  and  I  enjoyed  myself  very 
much  in  the  woods.  I  collected  birds  and  butterflies, 
killed  a  few  nice  little  quadrupeds,  and  then  we  return- 
ed to  the  sea-shore  village.  There  the  fever  laid  me  low 
on  my  bed  of  sickness.  How  wretched  I  felt !  I  had 
never  had  the  fever  before.  For  a  few  days  my  head 
was  burning  hot.  When  I  got  better,  and  looked  at  my- 
self in  my  little  looking-glass,  I  could  not  recognize  my- 
self ;  I  had  not  a  particle  of  color  left  in  my  cheeks,  and 
I  looked  as  yellow  and  pale  as  a  lemon.  I  got  fright- 
^ned.  This  fever  was  the  forerunner  of  what  I  had  tc 
expect  in  these  equatorial  regions. 
3 


ENTICING  THE   LEOPARD. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

A  VILLAGE  ON  THE   SEA-SHORE. — LYING  IN   WATT  FOR  A 

LEOPARD. 

I 

ON  the  promontory  called  Cape  St.  John,  about  a  de- 
gree north  of  the  equator,  stood  a  Mbinga  village,  whos<? 
chief  was  called  Imonga.  This  was,  I  think,  in  the  year 
1852.  The  country  around  was  very  wild.  The  village 
stood  on  the  top  of  a  high  hill,  which  ran  out  into  the 
sea,  and  formed  the  cape  itself.  The  waves  there  beat 
with  great  violence  against  a  rock  of  the  tertiary  forma- 
tion. It  was  a  grand  sight  to  see  those  angry  billows, 
white  with  foam,  dashing  against  the  shore.  You  could 
Bee  that  they  were  wearing  away  the  rock.  To  land 


IMONG A.— LEOPARDS.  35 

there  safely  was  very  difficult.  There  were  only  two  or 
three  places  where,  between  the  rocks,  a  canoe  could 
reach  the  shore.  The  people  were  as  wild  as  the  coun- 
try round  them,  and  very  warlike.  They  were  great  fish- 
ermen, and  many  of  them  spent  their  whole  time  fishing 
in  their  little  canoes.  Game  being  very  scarce,  there 
were  but  few  hunters. 

Imonga,  the  chief,  had  a  hideous  large  scar  on  his  face, 
which  showed  at  once  that  he  was  a  fighting  man.  Not 
a  few  of  his  men  showed  signs  of  wounds  which  they  had 
received  in  battle.  Many  of  these  fights  or  quarrels  took 
place  in  canoes  on  the  water,  among  themselves,  or  with 
people  of  other  villages. 

I  do  not  know  why,  but  Imonga  was  very  fond  of  me, 
and  go  also  were  his  people.  But  one  thing  revolted  me. 
I  found  'that  several  of  Imonga's  wives  had  the  first  joint 
of  their  little  finger  cut  off.  Imonga  did  this  to  make 
them  mind  him ;  for  he  wanted  his  wives  to  obey  him 
implicitly. 

The  woods  around  the  village  were  full  of  leopards. 
They  were  the  dread  of  the  people,  for  they  were  con- 
stantly carrying  off  some  one.  At  night  they  would 
come  into  the  villages  on  their  errands  of  blood  while 
the  villagers  were  asleep.  There  was  not  a  dog  nor  a 
goat  left ;  and  within  two  months  three  people  had  been 
eaten  by  them ;  the  very  places  could  be  seen  in  the  huts 
where  the  leopards  had  entered.  They  would  tear  up 
the  thin  thatched  palm-leaves  of  the  roofs,  and,  having 
seized  their  victims,  they  would  go  back  through  the  hole 
with  a  tremendous  leap,  and  with  the  man  in  their  jaws, 
and  run  off  into  the  forest. 

The  last  man  taken  had  uttered  a  piercing  cry  of  an- 


36  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

guish,  which  awoke  all  the  villagers.  They  at  once  arose 
and  came  to  the  rescue;  but  it  was  too  late.  They  only 
found  traces  of  blood  as  they  proceeded.  The  leopard 
had  gone  far  into  the  woods,  and  there  devoured  his  vic- 
tim. Of  course  there  was  tremendous  excitement,  and 
they  went  into  the  forest  in  search  of  the  leopard ;  but 
he  could  never  be  found. 

There  were  so  many  of  these  savage  beasts  that  they 
even  walked  along  the  beach,  not  satisfied  with  the  woods 
alone ;  and  when  the  tide  was  low,  during  the  night,  the 
footprints  of  their  large  paws  could  be  seen  distinctly 
marked  on  the  sand.  After  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  at 
night,  no  native  could  be  seen  on  the  sea-shore  without 
torches. 

During  the  day  the  leopard  hides  himself  cither  in  the 
hollow  of  some  one  of  the  gigantic  trees  with  which 
these  forests  abound,  or  sleeps  quietly  on  some  branch, 
waiting  for  the  approach  of  night.  He  seldom  goes  out 
before  one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  unless  pressed  by 
hunger,  and  about  four  o'clock  he  goes  back  to  his  lair. 

I  was  now  getting  accustomed  to  face  danger.  Killing 
the  buffalo  that  attacked  me  had  given  me  confidence. 

To  kill  a  leopard  must  be  my  next  exploit. 

I  selected  a  spot  very  near  the  sands  of  the  sea.  when- 
I  remarked  the  leopards  used  to  come  every  night,  when 
the  tide  was  low.  I  chose  a  day  when  the  moon  began 
to  rise  at  midnight,  so  that  it  might  not  be  so  dark  that 
I  could  not  take  a  good  aim  at  the  leopard,  and  see  what 
was  going  on. 

I  then  began  to  build  a  kind  of  pen  or  fortress,  and  I 
can  assure  you  I  worked  very  hard  at  it.  Every  day  I 
went  into  the  forest  and  cut  branches  of  trees,  with  which 


PREPARING  FOR  THE  LEOPARD.  37 

I  made  a  strong  palisade.  Every  stick  was  about  six  feet 
high,  and  was  put  in  the  ground  about  a  foot  deep. 
These  posts  were  fastened  together  with  strong  creepers. 
My  little  fortress,  for  so  I  must  call  it,  was  about  five  feet 
square.  This  would  never  answer;  for  the  leopard  might 
leap  inside  and  take  hold  of  me.  So,  with  the  help  of 
some  stout  branches  all  tied  strongly  together,  I  built  a 
roof.  Then  I  made  loop-holes  on  all  sides  for  my  guns,  so 
that  I  might  fire  at  the  beast  whenever  he  came  in  sight. 

I  was  glad  when  I  had  finished,  for  I  felt  very  tired. 
My  axe  was  not  sharp,  and  it  had  required  several  days 
to  complete  my  work. 

One  clear  starlight  night,  at  about  nine  o'clock,  I  went 
and  shut  myself  up  in  my  fortress.  I  had  taken  a  goat 
with  me,  which  I  tied  a  few  yards  from  my  place  of  con- 
cealment. It  was  quite  dark.  After  I  had  tied  the  goat, 
I  went  back  and  shut  myself  very  securely  inside  my 
strong-hold. 

I  waited  and  waited,  but  no  leopard  came.  The  goat 
cried  all  the  time.  It  was  so  dark  that  even  if  the  leop- 
ard had  come  I  could  not  have  seen  it. 

The.  moon  rose  by  one  o'clock.  It  was  in  its  last  quar- 
ter ;  and  very  strange  and  fantastic  it  made  every  thing 
look.  There  were  the  shadows  of  the  tall  trees  thrown 
upon  the  white  sand  of  the  beach,  while  in  the  forest  the 
ijloom  was  somewhat  greater.  The  sea  came  rolling  on 
the  beach  in  gentle  waves,  which,  as  they  broke,  sent  up 
thousands  of  bright  phosphorescent  flashes.  There  was 
a  dead  silence  every  where,  except  when  the  goat  cried, 
or  some  wild  beast  made  the  forest  resound  with  its  dis- 
mal howl.  The  wind  whispered  gently,  mournfully 
through  the  woods. 


38  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

1  could  not  account  for  it,  but  now  and  then  a  cold 
shudder  ran  through  me.  I  was  quite  alone,  for  the 
negro  I  had  taken  with  me  was  fast  asleep. 

One  o'clock.  No  leopard.  I  looked  in  vain  all  round 
me ;  I  could  see  nothing. 

Two  o'clock.     Nothing  yet. 

Suddenly  I  spied  something  a  long  way  off  on  the 
beach,  so  far  that  I  could  not  make  out  what  it  was.  It 
came  slowly  toward  me.  What  could  it  be?  I  asked 
myself.  Soon  I  recognized  a  big  spotted  leopard.  The 
goat,  which  had  seen  it,  began  to  cry  more  loudly.  The 
big  beast  came  nearer  and  nearer.  He  began  to  crouch. 
Then  he  lay  flat  on  the  ground.  How  his  eyes  glitk-r- 
ed!  They  looked  like  two  pieces  of  bright,  burning 
charcoal. 

My  heart  beat.  The  first  thought  that  came  to  n it- 
was,  Is  my  house  strong  enough  to  resist  his  attack,  in 
case  I  should  wound  him,  or  if,  perchance,  he  should 
prefer  me  to  the  goat,  and  make  an  onslaught  upon  it  '. 

The  savage  beast  crawled  nearer,  and  again  crouched 
down  on  the  ground.  I  took  my  gun,  and,  just  as  I 
was  getting  ready  to  fire,  he  made  an  immense  leap,  and 
bounded  upon  the  goat.  I  fired.  I  do  not  know  how, 
but,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  the  goat  was  seized,  and 
both  leopard  and  goat  disappeared  in  the  dark  forest.  I 
fired  again,  but  with  no  better  success.  In  the  morning 
I  saw  nothing  but  the  traces  of  the  po6r  goat's  blood. 

I  did  not  return  to  the  village  till  morning,  for  I  dared 
not  go  outside  of  my  palisade  that  night.  So,  the  goat 
being  gone,  I  concluded  I  had  better  light  a  fire,  to  warm 
myself,  and  drive  away  the  niusqmtoes.  I  always  car- 
ried a  box  of  matches  with  me.  I  struck  one,  and  soon 


LYING  IN  WAIT  FOR  THE  LEOPARD.  39 

succeeded  in  making  a  blaze  with  the  little  firewood  I 
had  collected. 

Strange  enough  I  must  have  looked,  inside  of  my  cage, 
while  the  fire  sent  its  glimmering  light  around. 

Finally,  seeing  that  every  thing  was  well  secured,  I 
went  to  sleep,  taking  good  care  to  put  myself  in  the 
middle  of  the  fort,  so  that  if,  by  any  chance,  a  leopard 
came,  he  could  not  get  hold  of  me  witli  his  paw.  When 
1  awoke  it  was  broad  daylight,  and  I  immediately  started 
for  Imonga's  village. 


CHAPTER  T. 

THE   BAY   OF   CORISCO. THE    MANGROVE-TREES. THE   WON- 
DERFUL FLOCK  OF  BIRDS. WHAT  I  FOUND   IN  THE  POUCH 

OF  A  PELICAN. HOW  AN   OLD  KING   IS   BURIED,  AND  THE 

NEW  KING   CROWNED. 

Now  that  you  have  followed  me  in  the  Benito  coun- 
try, and  to  Cape  St.  John,  I  will  take  you  a  little  farther 
down  the  coast  to  the  Bay  of  Corisco.  There,  two  rivers 
empty  their  waters  into  the  sea.  One  of  them  is  called 
the  Muni  River,  and  the  other  the  Monda. 

I  will  leave  the  Muni,  for  we  shall  have  to  come  to  it 
by-and-by,  and  will  speak  to  you  only  of  the  Monda.  It 
is  throughout  a  low-banked,  swampy  stream.  The  banks 
are  covered  with  mangrove-trees.  Every  limb  or  branch 
that  grows  in  the  water  is  covered  with  oysters — real 
oysters,  too — so  that  at  low  tide  you  can  see,  in  some 


LARGE  FLOCKS  OF  BIRDS.  41 

places  for  a  long  distance,  immense  bods  of  tins  kind  of 
shell-fish. 

The  mangroves,  on  which  the  oysters  grow  so  curious- 
ly, are  very  extraordinary  trees.  The  main  trunk,  or 
parent  tree,  grows  to  an  immense  size.  From  a  single 
tree  a  whole  forest  will  grow  up  in  time,  for  the  branches 
-end  down  shoots  into  the  ground,  which  in  their  turn 
take  root  and  become  trees ;  so  that,  generally,  almost 
the  whole  of  the  mangrove  forest  may  be  said  to  be  knit- 
ted together. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  country  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river  are  called  Shekiani.  They  are  a  very  warlike  tribe, 
and  many  of  them  are  armed  with  guns,  which  they  ob- 
tain from  the  vessels  which  come-  here  from  time  to  time 
to  buy  barwood,  ivory,  or  India-rubber. 

I  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  in  a  small  canoe 
manned  by  several  Mbinga  men.  The  canoe  was  made 
of  the  trunk  of  a  single  tree,  and  had  a  mat  for  a  sail. 
At  the  mouth  of  the  river,  high  above  the  swamps  that 
surround  its  banks,  are  two  hills.  On  the  top  of  one  of 
these  hills  a  village  was  situated.  There  I  staid.  It  was 
a  village  of  insignificant  size. 

At  low  tide,  the  high,  muddy  banks  of  the  river  are 
exposed.  So  many  birds  as  are  there  I  never  saw  else- 
where .  they  are  to  be  seen  in  countless  thousands.  The 
shore,  the  mud  islands,  and  the  water  were  so  covered  with 
them  that  it  was  really  a  sight  worth  seeing.  Here  and 
there  flocks  of  pelicans  swam  majestically  along,  keeping 
at  a  good  distance  from  my  canoe.  You  would  probably 
wish  to  know  what  these  pelicans  are  like.  I  will  tell 
you.  They  are  large  oirds,  and  have  an  enormous  bill, 
under  which  is  a  large  pouch,  capable  of  containing  sev- 


42  STORTKX  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

eral  pounds  of  fish.  They  have  webbed  feet,  and  their 
feathers  are  white.  I  wish  you  could  see  them  looking 
out  for  their  prey.  How  slyly  they  pry  in  the  water  for 
the  fish  they  are  in  search  of,  and  how  quickly  they 
pounce  upon  them  unawares  with  their  powerful  beak  ! 
In  an  instant  the  fish  are  killed  and  stored  away  in  the 
pouch ;  and  when  this  is  full,  then  Master  Pelican  begins 
to  eat.  The  fish  are  put  in  the  pouch  as  if  it  were  a 
store-house. 

Now  and  then  a  string  of  flamingoes  go  stretching 
along  the  muddy  shore,  looking  for  all  the  world  like  a 
line  of  fire.  Most  beautiful  are  these  flamingoes !  and 
very  singular  they  appear  when  not  on  the  wing,  but 
standing  still  on  their  long  red  legs !  They  are  very 
wild,  however,  and  difficult  of  approach. 

"Wherever  the  mud  peeped  out  of  the  water,  there 
were  herons,  cranes,  gulls  of  various  kinds.  Scattered 
every  where  were  seen  those  beautiful  white  birds  (E</i\t- 
ta  flavirostris).  Some  of  the  shore  trees  were  covered 
with  them,  looking  like  snow  in  the  distance. 

Of  course  I  wished  to  kill  some  of  these  birds.  So  1 
took  a  tiny  little  canoe,  and  covered  it  with  branches  of 
trees,  that  the  birds  might  think  it  was  a  tree  coming 
down  the  stream,  as  is  often  the  case.  Then  I  took  a 
Shekiani  with  me  to  paddle,  and,  putting  two  guns  in  the 
canoe,  we  made  for  the  pelicans.  The  sly  birds  seemed 
to  suspect  something,  and  did  not  give  me  a  chance  to 
approach  them  for  a  long  time.  But,  as  you  know,  in 
order  to  succeed  in  any  thing,  people  must  have  patience 
and  perseverance.  So,  after  chasing  many,  I  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  approaching  one.  He  was  just  in  the  act  of 
swallowing  a  big  fish  when — bang ! — I  fired,  and  wounded 


SHOOT  A  PELICAN  AND  TWO  FLAMINGOES.       43 

him  so  that  he  could  not  fly.  His  wing  had  been  broken 
by  my  shot  At  the  noise  made  by  firing  my  gun,  the 
birds  flew  away  by  thousands.  I  made  for  Master  Peli- 
can. The  chase  became  exciting ;  but,  at  last,  we  suc- 
ceeded in  coming  near  him.  But  how  to  get  hold  of 
him  was  now  the  question.  His  wing  only  was  broken ; 
and,  with  his  great  beak,  he  might  perhaps  be  able  to 
cut  one  of  my  fingers  right  off.  I  was  afraid  to  spoil  his 
feathers  if  I  tired  again.  He  became  exhausted,  and 
with  one  of  the  paddles  I  gave  him  a  tremendous  blow 
on  the  head,  which  stunned  him.  Another  blow  finished 
him,  and  we  lifted  him  into  the  canoe. 

I  can  not  tell  you  how  pleased  I  was.  His  pouch  was 
full  of  fish.  They  were  so  fresh  that  I  resolved  to  make 
a  meal  out  of  them. 

I  had  hardly  put  the  bird  at  the  bottom  of  the  canoe, 
when  there  came  flying  toward  me  a  flock  of  at  least  two 
hundred  flamingoes.  In  a  moment  I  had  my  gun  in 
readiness.  "Would  they  come  near  enough  for  me  to  get 
a  shot  at  them  ?  I  watched  them  anxiously.  Yes ! 
Now  they  are  near  enough;  and — bang!  bang! — I  fired 
the  two  barrels  right  into  the  middle  of  the  flock,  and 
two  beautiful  flamingoes  fell  into  the  water.  Quickly 
wo  paddled  toward  them.  In  order  to  go  faster,  I  took 
a  paddle  also,  and  worked  away  as  well  as  I  could.  They 
were  dead.  Both  had  received  shots  in  the  head. 

We  made  for  the  shore.  When  I  opened  the  pouch 
of  the  pelican — just  think  of  it ! — I  found  a  dozen  large 
fishes  inside !  They  were  quite  fresh,  and  I  am  sure 
they  had  not  bee?!  caught  more  than  half  an  hour.  You 
will  agree  with  me  that  the  pelican  makes  quick  work 
when  he  goes  a  fishing. 


44  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

In  the  evening  I  felt  so  tired  that  I  went  straight  to 
bed ;  and  I  slept  so  soundly,  that  if  the  Shekianis  had 
chosen,  they  could  have  murdered  me  without  my  even 
opening  my  eyes. 

This  village  had  a  new  king;  and  I  wondered  if  his 
majesty  were  made  king  in  the  same  fashion  as  the  sov- 
ereign of  the  Mpongwe  tribe — a  tribe  of  negroes  among 
whom  I  have  resided,  and  I  will  tell  you  how  their  king 
was  made. 

Old  King  Glass  died.  He  had  been  long  ailing,  but 
clung  to  life  with  determined  tenacity.  He  was  a  disa- 
greeable old  heathen;  but  in  his  last  days  he  became 
very  devout — after  his  fashion.  His  idol  was  always 
freshly  painted  and  brightly  decorated;  his  fetich,  or 
"  monda,"  was  the  best-cared-for  fetich  in  Africa ;  and 
every  few  days  some  great  doctors  were  brought  down 
from  the  interior,  and  paid  a  large  fee  for  advising  the 
old  king.  He  was  afraid  of  witchcraft ;  he  thought  every 
body  wanted  to  put  him  out  of  the  way  by  bewitching 
him.  So  the  business  of  the  doctors  was  to  keep  off  the 
witches,  and  assure  his  majesty  that  he  would  live  a  long 
time.  This  assurance  pleased  him  wonderfully,  and  he 
paid  his  doctors  well. 

The  tribe  had  got  tired  of  their  king.  They  thought, 
indeed,  that  he  was  himself  a  most  potent  and  evil-dis- 
posed wizard ;  and,  though  the  matter  was  not  openly 
talked  about,  there  were  very  few  natives  indeed  who 
would  pass  his  house  after  night,  and  none  who  could  be 
tempted  inside  by  any  slighter  provocation  than  an  irre- 
sistible glass  of  rum.  In  fact,  if  he  had  not  been  a  great 
king,  he  would  probably  have  been  killed. 

When  he  got  sick  at  last,  every  body  seemed  very 


DEATH  OF  OLD  KING  GLASS.  45 

sorry ;  but  several  of  my  friends  told  me,  in  confidence, 
that  the  whole  town  hoped  he  would  die,  and  die  he  did. 
I  was  awakened  one  morning  by  those  mournful  cries 
and  Avails  with  which  the  African  oftener  covers  a  sham 
sorrow  than  expresses  a  real  grief.  All  the  women  of 
the  village  seemed  to  be  dissolved  in  teal's.  It  is  a  most 
singular  thing  to  see  how  readily  the  women  of  Africa 
can  supply  tears  on  the  slightest  occasion,  or  for  no  occa- 
sion at  all.  They  will  cry  together  at  certain  times  of 
the  day,  on  mourning  occasions,  when  a  few  minutes  be- 
fore they  were  laughing.  They  need  no  pain  or  real  grief 
to  excite  tneir  te?rs.  They  can,  apparently,  weep  at  will. 

The  mourning  and  wailing  on  this  occasion  lasted  six 
days.  On  the  second  day  the  old  king  was  secretly 
buried  by  a  few  of  the  most  trusty  men  of  the  tribe,  very 
early  in  the  morning,  before  others  were  up — or  perhaps 
at  night.  Some  said  he  had  been  buried  at  night,  while 
others  said  he  had  been  buried  in  the  morning,  thus  show- 
ing that  they  did  not  know.  This  custom  arises  from  a 
belief  that  the  other  tribes  would  much  like  to  get  the 
head  of  the  king,  in  order  that  with  his  brains  they  might 
make  a  powerful  fetich. 

During  the  days  of  mourning  the  old  men  of  the  vil- 
lage busied  themselves  in  choosing  a  new  king.  This, 
also,  is  a  secret  operation,  and  the  result  is  not  communi- 
cated to  the  people  generally  till  the  seventh  day. 

It  happened  that  Njogoni  (fowl),  a  good  friend  of  mine, 
was  elected.  I  do  not  know  that  Njogoni  had  the  slight- 
est suspicion  of  his  elevation.  At  any  rate,  he  shammed 
ignorance  very  well. 

While  he  was  walking  on  the  shore  on  the  morning  of 
the  seventh  day — probably  some  one  had  told  him  to  go 


46  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

— he  was  suddenly  set  upon  by  the  entire  populace,  who 
proceeded  with  a  ceremony  which  is  preliminary  to  the 
crowning.  In  a  dense  crowd  they  surrounded  him,  and 
then  began  to  heap  upon  him  every  manner  of  abuse  that 
the  worst  of  mobs  could  imagine.  Some  spat  in  his  face. 
Some  beat  him  with  their  fists — not  very  hard,  of  course. 
Some  kicked  him.  Others  threw  dirty  things  at  him. 
Those  unlucky  ones  who  stood  on  the  outside,  and  <;onl<! 
only  reach  the  poor  fellow  with  their  voices,  assiduously 
cursed  him,  and  also  his  father,  and  especially  his  mother. 
as  well  as  his  sisters  and  brothers,  and  all  his  ancestors 
to  the  remotest  generation.  A  stranger  would  not  have 
given  a  farthing  for  the  life  of  him  who  was  presently  to 
be  crowned. 

Amid  the  noise  and  struggle,  I  caught  the  words  which 
explained  all  to  me ;  for  every  few  minutes  some  fello'.v, 
administering  a  comparatively  severe  blow  or  kick,  would 
shout  out. "  You  are  not  our  kino;  vet :  for  a  little  while 

O    v  * 

we  will  do  what  we  please  with  you.  By-and-by  we  shall 
have  to  do  your  will." 

Njogoni  bore  himself  like  a  man  and  a  prospective 
Icing,  and  took  all  this  abuse  with  a  smiling  face.  When 
it  had  lasted  about  half  an  hour,  they  took  him  to  the 
house  of  the  old  king.  Here  he  was  seated,  and  became 
::;r:i  in  for  a  little  while  the  victim  of  his  people's  curses 
and  ill  usage. 

Suddenly  all  became  silent,  and  the  elders  of  the  peo- 
ple rose,  and  said  solemnly  (the  people  repeating  after 
them), "  Now  we  choose  you  for  our  king ;  we  engage  to 
listen  to  you,  and  to  obey  you." 

Then  there  was  silence;  and  presently  the  silk  hat, 
of  "  stove-pipe"  f ashioii,  which  is  the  emblem  of  royal 


HO  W  THE  MPONG  WE  ELECT  A  KING.  47 

ty  among  the  Mpongwe  and  several  other  tribes  was 
brought  in,  and  placed  on  Njogoiii's  head.  He  was  then 
dressed  in  a  red  gown,  and  received  the  greatest  marks 
of  respect  from  all  those  who  had  jnst  now  abused  him. 

Then  followed  six  days  of  festival,  during  which  the 
poor  king,  who  had  taken  the  name  of  his  predecessor, 
was  obliged  to  receive  his  subjects  in  his  own  house,  and 
«ras  not  allowed  to  stir  out.  The  whole  time  was  occu- 
pied in  indescribable  gorging  of  food,,  and  drinking  of 
bad  rum  and  palm  wine.  It  was  a  scene  of  beastly  glut- 
tony, and  drunkenness,  and  uproarious  confusion.  Every 
thing  to  eat  and  drink  was  furnished  freely,  and  all  com- 
ers were  welcome. 

Old  King  Glass,  for  whom  during  six  days  no  end  of 
tears  had  been  shed,  was  now  forgotten ;  and  new  king 
Glass,  poor  fellow,  was  sick  with  exhaustion. 

Finally,  the  rum  and  palm  wine  were  drunk  up,  the 
food  was  eaten,  the  allotted  days  of  rejoicing  had  ex 
pired,  and  the  people  went  back  to  their  homes. 


30EVE   WITH   THE   MKOCTJUA. 


CHAPTER  YI. 

AN   OLD   MAN   KILLED   FOR  WITCHCRAFT. JOURNEY   TO   THB 

COUNTRY  OF  THE  CANNIBALS. — STARTING  ON  HIE  ROUTE. 

IN  the  year  1856  I  was  again  in  the  equatorial  regions. 
I  was  in  the  great  forest,  on  my  way  to  the  Cannibal 
country ;  yes,  the  country  where  the  people  eat  one  an- 
other. It  was  a  long  way  off,  and  how  was  I  to  get  there 
through  the  dense  jungle  ?  How  was  I  to  find  my  way 
in  that  vast  African  forest?  These  were  the  thoughts 
that  troubled  me  when  I  was  in  the  village  of  Dayoko. 

A  glance  at  the  map  will  show  you  how  the  village 
of  Dayoko  is  situated.  It  lies  not  far  from  the  banks  of 
the  Ntambounay  River,  and  is  surrounded  by  beautiful 
groves  of  plantain-trees. 

Dayoko  is  one  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Mbousha  tribe,  and 
a  wild  and  savage  set  of  people  they  are,  1  can  tell  you. 


HOW  THEY  RILL  SORCERERS.  49 

But  Dayoko  became  my  friend,  and  said  he  would  spare 
me  a  few  men  to  take  me  part  of  the  way. 

These  Mbousha  people  look  very  much  like  the  Sheki 
ani  I  have  already  described.  They  are  superstitious  and 
cruel,  and  belie v<?  i:  witchcraft.  I  staid  among  them 
only  a  few  days.  I  will  now  tell  you  what  I  saw  there. 

In  a  hut  I  found  a  very  old  man.  His  wool  (hair) 
was  white  as  snowy  his  face  was  wrinkled,  and  his  limbs 
were  shrunken.  His  hands  were  tied  behind  him,  and 
his  feet  were  placed  in  a  rude  kind  of  stocks.  Several 
negroes,  armed  to  the  teeth,  stood  guard  over  him,  and 
now  and  then  insulted  him  by  angry  words  and  blows, 
to  which  he  submitted  in  silence.  What  do  you  suppose 
all  this  meant? 

This  old  man  was  to  be  killed  for  witchcraft  * 

A  truly  horrible  delusion  this  witchcraft  is ! 

I  went  to  Dayoko,  the  chief,  to  try  to  save  the  old 
man's  life,  but  I  saw  it  was  in  vain. 

During  the  whole  night  I  could  hear  singing  all  over 
the  town,  as  well  as  a  great  uproar.  Evidently  they 
were  preparing  for  the  sacrifice  of  the  old  man. 

Early  in  the  morning  the  people  gathered  together 
with  the  fetich-man.  His  bloodshot  eyes  glared  in  sav- 
age excitement  as  he  went  around  from  man  to  man. 
In  his  hands  he  held  a  bundle  of  herbs,  with  which  he 
sprinkled,  three  times,  those  to  whom  he  spoke.  Mean- 
time there  was  a  man  on  the  top  of  a  high  tree  close  by, 
who  shouted  from  time  to  time, "  Jocou !  Jocou !"  at  the 
same  time  shaking  the  trees. 

"Jocou"  means  devil  among  the  Mbousha ;  and  the 
business  of  this  man  was  to  scare  the  evil  spirit,  and 
keep  it  away. 


50  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

At  last  they  all  declared  that  the  old  man  was  a  most 
potent  wizard,  that  he  had  killed  many  people  by  sorce 
ry,  and  that  he  must  be  killed. 

You  would  like  to  know,  I  dare  say,  what  these  Afric- 
ans mean  by  a  wizard  or  a  witch  ?  They  believe  that 
people  have  within  themselves  the  power  of  killing  ;mv 
one  who  displeases  them.  They  believe  that  no  one  dies 
unless 'some  one  has  bewitched  him.  Have  you  ever 
heard  of  such  a  horrible  superstition  ?  Hence  those  who 
are  condemned  for  witchcraft  are  sometimes  subjected 
to  a  very  painful  death ;  they  are  burnt  by  slow  fire, 
and  their  bodies  are  given  to  the  Bashikouay  ant  to  be 
devoured.  I  shall  have  something  to  tell  you  about  ants 
by -and -by.  The  poor  wretches  are  cut  into  pieces; 
gashes  are  made  over  their  bodies,  and  Cayenne  pepper 
is  put  in  the  wounds.  Indeed,  it  makes  me  shudder  to 
think  of  it,  for  I  have  witnessed  such  dreadful  deaths, 
and  seen  many  of  the  mutilated  corpses. 

After  I  witnessed  the  ceremony,  the  people  scattered, 
and  I  went  into  my  hut,  for  I  was  not  well.  After  ;i 
while  I  thought  I  saw  a  man  pass  my  door  almost  like  ;i 
flash,  and  after  him  rushed  a  horde  of  silent  but  infuri- 
ated men  toward  the  river.  In  a  little  while  I  heard 
sharp,  piercing  cries,  as  of  a  man  in  great  agony,  and 
then  all  became  still  as  death. 

I  came  out,  and,  going  toward  the  river,  was  met  by 
the  crowd  returning,  every  man  armed  with  axe,  spear, 
knife,  or  cutlass;  and  these  weapons,  as  well  as  their  own 
hands,  and  arms,  and  bodies,  were  sprinkled  with  blood. 
They  had  killed  the  poor  old  man  they  called  a  wizard, 
hacked  him  to  pieces,  and  finished  by  splitting  open  his 
skull,  and  scattering  the  brains  into  the  water.  Then 


SET  OUT  FOR  THE  FAN  COUNTRY.  51 

they  returned.  At  night  these  blood-thirsty  men  seemed 
to  be  as  gentle  as  lambs,  and  as  cheerful  as  if  nothing 
had  happened. 

Ought  we  not  to  be  thankful  that  we  were  born  in  a 
civilized  country? 

Now  came  the  "grand  palaver"  over  my  departure. 
I  called  Dayoko  and  all  the  elders  of  the  village  togeth- 
er. When  they  had  all  assembled,  I  told  them  I  must  go 
into  the  Fan  country  inhabited  by  the  Cannibals. 

Dayoko  said  I  should  be  murdered  by  the  Cannibals, 
and  eaten  up,  and  tried  to  dissuade  me  from  going. 

Finally  I  said  that  go  I  would. 

So  it  was  determined  that  I  should  go  under  Dayoko's 
protection.  Accordingly  he  gave  me  two  of  his  sons  to 
accompany  me,  and  ordered  several  men  to  carry  my 
chests,  guns,  powder,  bullets,  and  shot. 

They  were  to  take  me  to  one  of  Dayoko's  fathers-in- 
law,  a  Mbondemo  chief  who  lived  in  the  mountains. 

I  was  going  farther  and  farther  from  the  sea ;  if  the 
savages  were  to  leave  me  and  run  away  in  the  forest, 
what  would  become  of  me  ? 

"We  started  in  canoes,  ascended  the  Muni  River,  and 
then  paddled  up  a  river  called  the  Ntambounay  (you 
must  not  mind  these  hard  names — tbey  are  not  of  my 
choice.  I  must  call  things  by  the  names  the  natives 
give  them). 

After  paddling  all  day,  toward  sunset  we  all  felt  very 
tired,  for  we  had  gone  a  long  way  up  the  river,  and 
reached  a  Shekiani  village.  I  was  quite  astonished  to 
meet  Shekiani  here,  but  so  it  happened. 

I  shall  always  remember  this  Shekiani  village,  for  1 
thought  I  should  be  murdered  and  plundered  there.  Aft- 


52  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

er  we  had  landed  in  the  village,  I  was  told,  at  once,  that 
I  could  not  go  any  farther,  for  the  road  belonged  to  tht-iiL 
I  must  pay  a  tribute  of  six  sliirts  similar  to  those  I  wore, 
three  great-coats,  beads,  etc.,  etc.  This  would  have  en 
tirely  ruined  me. 

I  could  not  sleep  at  all.  Through  the  whole  night  a 
crowd  surrounded  my  hut,  talking,  shouting,  and  singing 
in  the  greatest  excitement.  My  guns  and  revolvers  were 
all  loaded,  and  I  made  up  my  mind  not  to  be  killed  with- 
out fighting  desperately.  If  I  was  to  die,  I  resolved,  at 
all  events,  to  die  like  a  brave  man.  All  my  party  were 
in  my  hut  except  Dayoko's  two  sons,  who  had  gone  to 
talk  with  the  Shekiani  chief.  The  Shekiani  chief  was 
a  friend  of  Dayoko,  and  Dayoko's  sons  told  him  I  w:b: 
their  father's  stranger-friend. 

At  last  things  became  more  quiet,  and  toward  morn- 
ing the  people  were  still  or  asleep. 

We  left  the  hut.  All  was  still  peaceful.  My  men 
said  that  Dayoko's  sons  had  a  big  fetich  to  avert  war. 

I  gave  a  present  to  the  Shekiani  chief,  and  off  we 
started.  We  left  our  large  canoes  and  took  smaller  ones, 
for  we  were  to  go  through  a  very  small  stream. 

As  we  ascended  the  beautiful  river,  we  could  see  the 
lofty  mountains  of  the  interior.  A  great  many  islands 
studded  the  stream.  From  the  trees  on  the  banks  the 
monkeys  looked  dowTi  at  us  with  astonishment.  What 
curious  creatures  they  were,  with  their  black  faces  peep- 
ing out  through  the  dark  foliage,  and  looking  as  if  they 
were  making  grimaces  at  us.  By-and-by  we  left  the 
river,  and  made  our  way  along  the  creeks  or  through  the 
woods  toward  the  Mbondemo  village.  Now  and  then  we 
walked  freely  through  the  wide  openings  which  the  ele- 


ARRIVE  AT  THE  MBONDEMO  CAMP.  53 

phants  had  made.  The  rushing  of  a  herd  of  elephants 
effects  quite  a  clearing  in  the  forest.  On  we  went,  till 
finally  we  came  to  a  place  where  a  great  number  of  large 
trees  had  been  prostrated.  Wherever  we  looked  trees 
were  lying  on  the  ground,  many  of  them  of  enormous 
size.  As  I  looked  I  heard,  not  far  off,  a  tremendous 
crash — a  most  awful  noise.  I  could  not  conjecture  what 
was  the  matter.  It  turned  out  that  a  tree  had  come 
down ;  and  as  it  fell,  being  a  huge  one,  it  crushed  a  dozen 
others  around  it,  and  each,  as  it  broke,  gave  a  great  crash, 
so  that  the  combined  effect  was  awful  to  hear. 

We  had  to  go  through  these  fallen  trees ;  and  what 
tough  work  it  was !  I  never  had  seen  any  thing  like  it. 
Now  we  had  to  climb  on  a  fallen  tree  and  follow  its 
trunk ;  then  we  had  to  come  down,  and  were  entangled 
in  its  branches,  or  in  those  of  other  trees.  At  other  times 
we  had  to  creep  under  them.  I  was  continually  afraid 
that  my  gun  would  be  fired  off  by  some  creepers  or 
boughs  getting  hold  of  the  trigger. 

At  last,  when  my  patience  was  entirely  gone,  and  my 
few  clothes  literally  hanging  in  ribbons  about  me,  my 
legs  sadly  wounded,  and  my  face  and  hands  scratched,  we 
arrived  at  the  camp  of  the  Mbondemos,  situated  almost 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountain. 

These  mountains  were  covered  with  an  immense  for- 
est ;  and  so  thick  were  the  trees  that  no  open  view  could 
be  obtained  in  any  direction.  The  mountains  ended 
somewhere  in  the  interior,  no  one  knew  where,  but  this 
they  knew,  that  it  was  near  the  home  of  the  Fans,  a  Can- 
nibal tribe,  and  that  elephants  were  plentiful,  and  goril- 
las were  occasionally  seen  there.  This  encampment  of 
the  Mbondemos  was  called  an  olako.  There  was  not  a 


54"  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

house  in  the  camp,  and  it  was  a  romantic  scene  to  look 
at.  Scattered  under  huge  trees,  on  the  edge  of  the  w<  ><  ><ls, 
were  leafy  shelters,  opening  toward  the  forest.  Under 
these  the  people  lived.  A  few  sticks  put  close  together 
formed  their  beds.  They  contrived  to  sleep  upon  them, 
and  I  did  the  same.  I  assure  you  that  they  weiv  hard 
enough,  and  reminded  me  that  a  mattress  was  a  vrv 
good  thing^  Every  family  had  its  fire  prepared  beside 
the  beds,  and  around  these  fires  in  the  evening  they 
clustered,  men,  women,  and  children. 

The  chief  of  this  Mbondemo  encampment  was  called 
Mbe'ne',  and  I  liked  him  veVy  much.  lie  was  very  kind 
to  me,  and  always  tried  to  furnish  me  with  food.  There 
was  scarcity  of  provisions,  at  the  time,  in  the  camp  of  the 
Mbondemos.  There  were  no  plantain  and  cassada  fields 
near,  and  often  I  had  to  go  without  breakfast  or  dinner. 
The  people  lived  chiefly  on  the  nuts  of  the  forest,  and  at 
that  season  of  the  year  these  were  very  scarce. 

Poor  Mbene  said  they  had  very  little  to  eat,  but  would 
give  me  what  they  could.  I  had  carried  with  me  a  few 
little  crackers,  which  I  found  very  precious — more  pre- 
cious than  gold,  and  which  I  reserved  for  time  of  sick- 
ness ;  but  one  by  one  they  disappeared.  I  looked  at  them 
every  time  I  took  one,  but  I  felt  so  hungry  that  I  could 
not  refrain  from  eating  them. 

Have  you  known  what  hunger  is — real  craving  hun- 
ger? I  can  assure  you  it  is  a  dreadful  feel  inn. 

During  that  time  of  the  year,  this  people  had  half  the 
time  nothing  to  eat  but  the  nut  of  a  kind  of  palm.  This 
nut  was  so  bitter  I  could  scarcely  eat  it.  It  is  shaped  like 
an  egg,  with  rounded  ends.  To  prepare  it  for  eating,  it 
is  divested  of  its  husk,  and  soaked  in  water  for  twenty 


THE  PALM-TREE.  55 

four  hours,  when  it  loses  part  of  its  exceedingly  bitter 
taste,  and  becomes  tolerably  palatable — that  is,  to  a  starv- 
ing man.  Sometimes  hunger  will  make  them  eat  the 
nut  without  soaking  it.  I  have  done  so  myself  when  lost 
in  the  forest,  It  is  dreadfully  disagreeable. 

Now  and  then  the  women  succeeded  in  getting  a  few 
little  fish  in  the  streams,  and  gave  me  some.  I  could 
bear  a  good  deal,  for  I  had  firmly  resolved  to  go  into  the 
Cannibal  country. 

These  Mbondemos  are  continually  moving  their  vil- 
lages. Mbene  had  moved  his  village  three  times  within 
a  few  years.  I  asked  him  why  he  made  these  frequent 
changes.  lie  said  that  he  moved  the  first  time  because 
a  man  had  died,  and  the  place  was  "  not  good"  after  that, 
event.  The  second  time  he  was  forced  to  move  because, 
they  had  cut  down  all  the  palm-trees,  and  would  get  no 
more  mimbo  (palm  wine),  a  beverage  of  which  they  are 
excessively  fond.  They  tap  the  palm,  just  as  the  maple- 
tree  is  tapped  in  America,  only  they  tap  the  tree  at  the 
top.  This  palm  wine  has  somewhat  of  a  milky  color: 
and,  when  drunk  in  great  quantity,  it  intoxicates.  The 
palm-trees  are  very  plentiful  all  over  this  part  of  the 
country,  and  it  seems  easier  for  them  to  move  than  to 
take  care  of  the  trees  surrounding  their  settlements,  use- 
ful as  they  are  to  them ;  for  they  furnish  not  only  the 
\vine  they  love,  but  the  bitter  nut  I  mentioned  before, 
which  often  keeps  them  from  actual  starvation.  When 
the  tree  is  cut  down  they  get  what  we  call  the  palm  cab- 
bage which  grows  at  the  top.  When  cooked  this  palm 
cabbage  is  very  good. 

A  country  which  has  plenty  of  palm-trees,  plenty  of 
game,  a  good  river  or  rivulet,  and  plenty  of  fish,  is  the 
country  for  a  Mbondemo  settler  or  squatter. 


56  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

In  these  forests  there  is  a  vine  or  creeper  which  1 
might  call  the  traveler's  vine.  If  thirsty  you  ma^v  cut 
it,  and  within  less  than  a  minute  a  tumblerful  of  water 
will  come  out  of  it.  This  vine  hangs  about  in  the  forest, 
and  seemed  to  me  to  grow  without  leaves.  What  a 
capital  thing  it  would  be  if  water  were  not  abundant  in 
this  country!  The  water  procured  from  it  ha.s  hardly 
any  taste,  and  is  perfectly  pure  and  limpid. 

Being  unable  to  endure  the  continual  hunger,  I  called 
Mbene,  and  told  him  that  his  place  had  no  food  to  give, 
and  he  must  take  me  to  a  country  where  there  was  some- 
thing to  eat,  and  which  would  be  on  my  way  to  the  Fan 
country.  Good  Mbdne  said,  "  Spirit,  I  will  try  the  best 
I  can  to  take  you  where  you  want  to  go.  I  will  send 
some  of  my  people  with  you." 

In  the  mean  time,  Dayoko's  people  had  all  returned  to 
their  village.  These  forests  had  no  game.  I  spent  hour 
after  hour  scouring  the  forest,  but  I  could  see  nothing 
except  birds,  some  of  which  were  extremely  pretty.  I 
am  afraid  that  if  I  had  succeeded  in  killing  a  snake  I 
should  have  eaten  it,  as  I  felt  desperately  hungry.  I  did 
not  like  the  bitter  nuts ;  so  it  was  agreed  that  Mbene's 
brother  Mcomo,  together  with  several  of  his  people, 
should  accompany  me  as  far  as  the  country  of  the  Fan 
tribe.  I  could  hardly  believe  such  good  news  could  be 
true. 

Mbene's  wife  always  cooked  my  food.  She  was  a  dear 
good  old  woman,  and  I  gave  her  a  fine  necklace  of  beads 
when  I  left.  She  was  delighted  with  my  present.  They 
were  big  white  porcelain  beads  of  the  size  of  a  pigeon's 
egg.  One  day  Mbene  succeeded  in  getting  a  fowl  for 
me.  Ilis  wife  cooked  it ;  she  made  soup,  and  put  plenty 


ELEPHANT  MEA  T  NOT  RELISHED. 


57 


of  Cayenne  pepper  into  it.  I  had*  also  some  plantain. 
How  I  enjoyed  this  meal !  the  more  so  that  it  was  prob- 
ably the  last  I  should  get  for  a  good  many  days,  unless 
we  were  unusually  lucky,  and  should  kill  some  antelopes 
or  elephants  on  our  road  to  the  Fan  country. 

Elephant  meat  is  execrable,  as  you  would  say  on  tast- 
ing it.  But,  as  you  may  not  have  the  chance,  I  will  teD 
you  by-and-by  how  it  tastes. 

As  much  food  as  possible  was  collected  for  our  jour- 
ney, and  at  last  every  thing  was  ready. 


CHAPTEK  VII. 

OUR  JOURNEY   THROUGH    THE    WILDERNESS   CONTINUED. A 

REBELLION  IN  CAMP. NOTHING  TO  EAT. — I  SHOOT  A  FISH 

AND  MISS  AN  ELEPHANT. — I  KILL  A  BIG  SNAKE,  AND  THE 
OTHERS   EAT   HIM. MY  FIRST   SIGHT   OF   GORILLAS. 

BEFORE  we  renewed  our  journey,  the  natives  luul  done 
all  they  could  to  gather  provisions;  but  the  result  was 
poor  enough.  By  going  to  distant  villages  they  had' suc- 
ceeded in  getting  a  few  bunches  of  plantain. 

Mcomo,  Mbene's  brother,  backed  out.  lie  said  he  was 
not  going  into  the  Cannibal  country  to  be  eaten  up.  But 
I  must  tell  you  that  Mbe'ne  had  some  friends  among  the 
Cannibals.  And  he  sent  with  me  two  of  his  sons,  called 
Miengai  and  Makinda,  together  with  twelve  good  hunt- 
ers, and  six  women  who  were  the  wives  of  some  of  the 
men.  The  women  carried  the  provisions,  etc. 

I  took  seventy  pounds  of  shot  and  bullets,  nineteen 
pounds  of  powder,  ten  pounds  of  arsenic  for  preserving 
the  birds  and  animals  I  should  kill,  for  I  knew  I  should 
probably  succeed  in  getting  some  new  specimens. 

"When  all  was  arranged,  when  every  body  had  taken 
leave  of  all  his  friends,  for  this  was  a  very  great  journey, 
and  they  came  back  half  a  dozen  times  to  take  leave  over 
again,  or  say  something  they  had  forgotten,  when  all  the 
shouting  and  quarreling  about  who  should  carry  the 
smallest  load  was  over,  we  at  last  got  away. 


SHOOT  A  FISH  AND  MISS  AN  ELEPHANT.         61 

"We  had  left  the  camp  of  Mbene'  behind  us  at  a  distance 
of  about  five  miles  when  we  came  to  the  banks  of  a  little 
river  called  the  Koonday,  a  clear  and  beautiful  stream. 
I  was  ahead  of  the  party  with  Miengai,  and  was  waiting 
for  the  others  to  come  up  before  crossing.  As  we  stood 
on  the  bank  I  spied  a  fish  swimming  along.  .  Immediate- 
ly the  thought  came  into  my  mind, "  How  nicely  that  fish 
vould  taste  if  I  could  get  it  and  boil  it  in  a  pot  over  the 
fire  !J>  I  fired  a  charge  of  small  shot  into  it ;  but  no 
sooner  had  I  pulled  the  trigger  than  I  heard  a  tremen- 
dous crash  on  the  opposite  bank,  about  six  or  seven  yards 
off.  Small  trees  were  torn  down  violently,  and  then  we 
heard  the  shrill  trumpetings  of  a  party  of  frightened  ele- 
phants. They  were  probably  sleeping  or  standing  in  a 
lead  silence  on  the  opposite  bank  in  the  jungle.  I  was 
sorry  I  had  fired,  for  after  crossing  the  stream  we  might 
have  killed  an  elephant.  Poor  Miengai  was  terribly 
vexed.  "  I  am  sure,"  said  he,  "  they  had  big  tusks  of 
ivory." 

Our  party,  as  soon  as  they  heard  the  gun,  came  up  in 
haste,  and  asked  wrhat  was  the  matter.  "When  they  heard 
the  story,  they  began  to  lament  our  not  killing  an  ele- 
phant, for  then  we  should  have  had  meat  enough  for  the 
whole  journey ;  and  they  shouted  with  one  accord,  "Ele 
phant  meat  is  so  good  !" 

This  exclamation  made  me  wonder  how  an  elephant 
steak  would  taste. 

On  we  went,  and  got  fairly  into  the  mountainous  coun 
try.  The  hills  became  steeper  as  we  advanced.  How 
tired  I  felt ;  for  the  diet  at  Mbene's  camp  had  not 
strengthened  me.  These  Mbondemos  had  a  great  ad- 
vantage over  me.  They  used  their  bare  feet  almost  a» 


62  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

deftly  as  monkeys,  and  hence  got  their  foothold  more 
easily  than  I. 

Miengai  and  I  were  in  advance.  All  at  once  he  made 
me  a  sign  to  keep  very  still.  I  thought  he  had  discov- 
ered a  herd  of  elephants,  or  seen  the  traces  of  an  enor- 
mous leopard.  He  cocked  his  gun ;  I  cocked  mine ;  the 
other  men  did  the  same ;  and  there  we  stood,  in  perfect 
silence,  for  at  least  five  minutes.  Suddenly  Miengai  sent 
a  "  hurrah"  echoing  through  the  forest.  It  was  immedi- 
ately answered  by  shouts  from  many  voices  not  very  far 
off,  but  whose  owners  were  hidden  from  us  by  huge  rocks 
and  trees.  Miengai  replied  with  the  fierce  shout  of  the 
Mbondemo  warriors,  and  was  again  answered.  Thinking 
we  were  going  to  have  a  general  fight,  I  looked  carefully 
after  my  powder-flask  and  my  bullets,  and  found  they 
were  all  right. 

Going  a  little  farther  on  we  came  in  sight  of  the  en- 
campment of  a  large  party,  who  proved  to  be  some  of 
Mbene's  people  just  returning  from  a  trading  expedition 
to  the  interior.  Two  men  of  this  camp  offered  to  go 
with  us.  Their  names  were  Ngolai  and  Yeava.  We 
consented  to  take  them.  • 

What  a  journey  it  was!  Nothing  but  thick  woods  to 
struggle  through,  hills  to  climb,  rivers  to  cross,  and  near- 
ly all  the  time  it  rained ;  in  fact,  I  was  wet  from  mom- 
ing  to  night.  How  glad  I  was  when,  in  the  evening,  we 
had  made  our  camp,  and  built  great  fires !  For  my  part, 
I  had  three  fires  lit  about  my  bed  of  leaves;  and  in  the 
evening  I  always  hung  up  my  clothes  to  dry,  so  as  to  have 
them  ready  for  the  next  day. 

One  morning  my  men  came  to  tell  me  they  were  tired, 
and  would  not  go  a  step  farther  unless  I  gave  them  more 
cloth. 


A  MOUNTAIN  TORRENT.  63 

They  seemed  in  earnest ;  and  I  began  to  question  my- 
self  whether  they  meant  to  plunder  me  or  to  leave  me  in 
these  mountains  ?  To  be  left  thus  alone  would  have  been 
almost  certain  death.  To  give  them  what  they  asked  waa 
to  show  them  I  was  afraid  of  them.  If  they  knew  I  was 
afraid  of  them  I  did  not  know  what  they  might  next  do. 
So  I  determined  to  put  on  a  bold  front.  Taking  my  two 
revolvers  in  my  hand,  I  said, "  I  will  not  give  you  any 
more  cloth.  I  will  not  let  you  leave  me,  because  your 
father  Mbenu  has  given  you  U>  me  to  accompany  me  to  the 
Fan  tribe.  You  must  therefore  go  with  me,  or"  (here  I 
motioned  with  my  pistols) "  there  will  be  war  between  us. 
But,"  said  I, "  this  is  a  rery  hard  road,  and  at  the  end  cf 
the  journey  I  will  give  you  something  more." 

This  satisfied  them,  and  we  again  resumed  our  journey. 
Up,  and  up,  and  up  we  struggled,  and  now  we  began  to 
meet  with  immense  boulders.  Not  the  scream  of  a  bird, 
or  the  shrill  cry  of  a  monkey,  broke  the  stillness  of 
the  dark  solitude.  Nothing  was  heard  but  the  panting 
breaths  of  our  party  as  we  ascended  the  hills. 

At  last  we  came  to  an  immense  mountain  torrent, 
which  rushed  down  the  hill  side  with  fearful  force,  and 
was  white  with  foam.  Its  course  was  full  of  huge  gran- 
ite boulders,  which  lay  about  as  though  the  Titans  had 
been  playing  at  skittles  in  that  country.  Against  these 
the  angry  waters  dashed  as  if  they  would  carry  all  before 
them,  and,  breaking,  threw  the  milky  spray  up  to  the  very 
tree-tops.  As  I  looked  up  the  torrent  seemed  to  pour  its 
foaming  waters  directly  down  upon  us. 

This  was  the  head  of  the  Ntambounay  River  which  I 
had  ascended  in  a  canoe,  and  on  the  banks  of  which  1 
came  near  being  murdered  in  the  Shekiani  village. 


64  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY 

What  a  change  had  taken  place  in  it!  Here  a  canoe 
would  be  dashed  into  a  hundred  pieces  against  the  rocks. 

I  was  so  thirsty  and  tired  that  I  went  to  the  river's 
bank,  and  drank  a  few  handf uls  of  the  pure,  clean  cold 
water 

After  resting  a  little  while,  we  continued  our  course 
till  we  reached  the  top  of  a  very  high  mountain,  whence 
I  could  see  all  the  country  round*  How  wild  and  des- 
olate it  looked !  Nothing  but  forest  and  mountains 
stretching  away  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 

I  was  sitting  under  a  very  large  tree,  when,  suddenly 
looking  up,  I  saw  an  immense  serpent  coiled  upon  the 
branch  of  a  tree  just  above  me ;  and  I  really  could  not 
tell  whether  he  was  not  about  to  spring  upon  me  and 
entangle  me  in  his  huge  folds.  You  may  well  believe 
that  I  very  quickly  "  stood  from  under."  I  rushed  out, 
and,  taking  good  aim  with  my  gun,  I  shot  my  black 
friend  in  the  head.  He  let  go  his  hold,  tumbled  down 
with  great  force,  and  after  writhing  convulsively  for  a 
time,  he  lay  before  me  dead.  lie  measured  thirteen  feet 
in  length,  and  his  ugly  fangs  proved  that  he  was  ven- 
omous. 

My  men  cut  off  the  head  of  the  snake,  and  divided  the 
body  into  as  many  pieces  as  there  were  people.  Then 
they  lighted  a  fire,  and  roasted  and  ate  it  on  the  spot. 
They  offered  me  a  piece ;  but,  though  very  hungry,  I  de- 
clined. When  the  snake  was  eaten  I  was  the  only  in- 
dividual of  the  company  that  had  an  empty  stomach ;  I 
could  not  help  reflecting  on  the  disadvantage  it  is  some- 
times to  have  been  born  and  bred  in  a  civilized  country, 
where  snakes  are  not  accounted  good  eating. 

We  now  began  to  look  about  the  ruins  of  the  village 


ON  THE  TRACK  OF  GORILLAS.  65 

near  which  we  sat.  A  degenerate  kind  of  sugar-  cane 
was  growing  on  the  very  spot  where  the  houses  had 
formerly  stood.  I  made  haste  to  pluck  some  of  this,  and 
chew  it  for  the  little  sweetness  it  had.  While  thus  en- 
gaged my  men  perceived  what  instantly  threw  us  all 
into  the  greatest  excitement.  Here  and  there  the  cane 
was  beaten  down  or  torn  up  by  the  roots,  and  lying 
about  were  fragments  which  had  evidently  been  chewed. 
There  were  also  footprints  to  be  seen,  which  looked 
almost  like  those  of  human  beings.  What  could  this 
mean  ?  My  men  looked  at  each  other  in  silence,  and 
muttered  "  Ngiiyla !"  (Gorillas !) 

It  was  the  first  time  I  had  seen  the  footprints  of  rhese 
wild  men  of  the  woods,  and  I  can  not  tell  you  how  I  felt. 
Here  was  I  now,  it  seemed,  on  the  point  of  meeting,  face 
to  face,  that  monster,  of  whose  ferocity,  strength,  and 
cunning  the  natives  had  told  me  so  much,  and  which 
no  white  man  before  had  hunted.  My  heart  beat  till  I 
feared  its  loud  pulsations  would  alarm  the  gorilla.  I 
wondered  how  they  looked.  I  thought  of  what  llanno 
the  Carthaginian  navigator  said  about  the  wild  hairy 
men  he  had  met  on  the  West  Coast  of  Africa  more  than 
two  thousand  years  ago. 

By  the  tracks  it  was  easy  to  know  that  there  must 
have  been  several  gorillas  in  company.  We  prepared  at 
once  to  follow  them. 

The  women  were  terrified.  They  thought  their  end 
had  come ;  that  the  gorilla  would  be  soon  upon  them ; 
so,  before  starting  in  search  of  the  monster,  we  left  two 
or  three  men  to  take  care  of  them  and  reassure  them. 
Then  the  rest  of  us  looked  once  more  carefully  at  our 
guns  •  for  the  gorilla  gives  you  no  time  to  reload,  and 


66  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

woe  to  him  whom  he  attacks  1  We  were  fortunate!} 
armed  to  the  teeth. 

My  men  were  remarkably  silent,  for  they  were  going 
on  an  expedition  of  more  than  usual  risk ;  for  the  male 
gorilla  is  literally  the  king  of  the  forest — the  king  of  the 
equatorial  regions.  He  and  the  crested  lion  of  Mount 
Atlas  are  the  two  fiercest  and  strongest  beasts  of  that 
continent  The  lion  of  South  Africa  can  not  be  com- 
pared with  either  for  strength  or  courage. 

As  we  left  the  camp,  the  men  and  women  left  be- 
hind crowded  together,  with  fear  written  on  their  faces. 
Miengai,  Ngolai,  and  Makinda  set  out  for  the.  hunt  in 
one  party :  myself  and  Yeava  formed  another.  We 
determined  to  keep  near  each  other,  so  that  in  case  of 
trouble,  or  in  a  great  emergency,  we  might  be  at  hand 
to  help  one  another.  For  the  rest,  silence  and  a  sure 
aim  were  the  only  cautions  to  be  given. 

As  we  followed  the  footprints,  we  could  easily  see  that 
there  were  four  or  five  of  them,  though  none  appeared 
very  large.  We  saw  where  the  gorillas  had  run  along 
on  all  fours,  which  is  their  usual  mode  of  progression. 
We  could  perceive  also  where,  from  time  to  time,  they 
had  seated  themselves  to  chew  the  canes  they  had  bonie 
off.  The  chase  began  to  be  very  exciting. 

We  had  agreed  to  return  to  the  women  and  their 
guards,  and  consult  about  what  was  to  be  done,  after 
we  had  discovered  the  probable  course  of  the  gorilla, 
and  this  was  now  done.  To  make  sure  of  not  alarming 
our  prey,  we  moved  the  whole  party  forward  a  little  way, 
to  some  leafy  huts,  built  by  passing  traders,  and  which 
served  us  for  shelter  and  concealment.  Here  we  be- 
stowed the  women,  whose  lively  fear  of  the  terrible  go- 


AFTER  GORILLAS.  67 

rilla  arises  from  various  stories  current  among  the  tribes 
of  women  having  been  carried  off  into  the  woods  by  the 
fierce  animal.  Then  we  prepared  once  more  to  set  oul 
on  our  chase,  this  time  hopeful  to  get  a  shot. 

Looking  once  more  to  our  guns,  we  started  off.  ) 
confess  that  I  was  never  more  excited  in  my  life.  Foi 
;r;irs  I  had  heard  of  the  terrible  roar  of  the  gorilla,  oi 
its  vast  strength,  cf  its  fierce  courage  when  only  wound- 
ed. I  knew  that  we  were  about  to  pit  ourselves  against 
an  animal  which  even  the  enormously  large  leopards  of 
the  mountains  fear,  which  the  elephants  let  alone,  and 
which  perhaps  has  driven  away  the  lion  out  of  this  ter- 
ritory ;  for  the  "  king  of  beasts,"  so  numerous  elsewhere 
in  Africa,  is  not  met  with  in  the  land  of  the  gorilla. 

We  descend  3d  a  hill,  crossed  a  stream  on  a  fallen  log, 
crept  under  the  trees,  and  presently  approached  some 
huge  boulders  of  granite.  In  the  stream  wre  had  crossed 
we  could  see  plainly  signs  that  the  animals  had  just 
crossed  it,  for  the  water  was  still  disturbed.  Our  eyes 
wandered  every  where  to  get  a  glimpse  of  our  prey. 
Alongside  of  the  granite  blocks  lay  an  immense  dead 
tree,  and  about  this  the  gorillas  wrere  likely  to  be. 

Our  approach  was  very  cautious;  I  wish  you  could 
have  seen  us.  We  were  divided  into  two  parties.  Ma- 
kinda  led  one,  and  I  the  other.  We  were  to  surround 
the  granite  block,  behind  which  Makinda  supposed  the 
gorillas  to  be  hiding.  With  guns  cocked  and  ready,  we 
advanced  through  the  dense  wood,  which  cast  a  gloom, 
even  in  midday,  over  the  wrhole  scene.  I  looked  at  my 
men,  and  saw  that  they  were  even  more  excited  than 
myself. 

Slowly  we  pressed  on  through  the  dense  bush,  fearing 


6tf  STOliTES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

almost  to  breathe,  for  fear  of  alarming  the  beasts.  Ma- 
kinda  was  to  go  to  the  right  of  the  rock,  while  I  took  tlio 
left.  Unfortunately,  he  and  his  party  circled  it  at  too 
great  a  distance.  The  watchful  animals  saw  him.  Sud- 
denly I  was  startled  by  a  strange,  discordant,  half  hu- 
man, devilish  cry,  and  beheld  four  young  and  half -grown 
gorillas  running  toward  the  deep  forest.  I  was  not  ready. 
We  iired,  but  hit  nothing.  Then  we  rushed  on  in  pur- 
suit ;  but  they  knew  the  woods  better  than  we.  Once  I 
caught  a  glimpse  of  one  of  the  animals  again ;  but  an 
intervening  tree  spoiled  my  mark,  and  I  did  not  fire.  We 
pursued  them  till  wre  were  exhausted,  but  in  vain.  The 
alert  beasts  made  good  their  escape.  When  we  could 
pursue  no  more  we  returned  slowly  to  our  camp,  where 
the  women  were  anxiously  expecting  us. 

I  protest  I  felt  almost  like  a  murderer  when  I  saw  the 
gorilla  this  first  time.  As  they  ran  on  their  hind  li-gs, 
with  their  heads  down,  their  bodies  inclined  forward, 
their  whole  appearance  was  that  of  hairy  men  running 
for  their  lives.  Add  to  all  this  their  cry,  so  awful,  yet 
'with  something  human  in  its  discordance,  and  you  will 
•cease  to  wonder  that  the  natives  have  the  wildest*  super- 
stitions about  these  "  wild  men  of  the  woods." 

In  our  absence  the  women  had  made  large  fin;s,  and 
prepared  the  camp.  I  changed  my  clothes,  wliiuh  had 
become  drenched  by  the  frequent  torrents  and  puddles 
we  ran  through  in  our  eager  pursuit.  Then  we  sat  down 
to  our  supper,  which  had  been  cooked  in  the  mean  time. 
I  noticed  that  all  my  plantains  were  gone  —  eaten  up. 
What  was  to  become  of  us  in  the  great  forest  ?  I  had 
only  two  or  three  biscuits,  which  1  kept  in  case  of  Actual 
starvation  or  sickness. 


STORIES  OF  THE  NATIVES.  69 

As  we  lay  by  the  fire  in  the  evening  before  going  to 
sleep,  the  adventure  of  the  day  was  talked  over  to  those 
who  had  not  gone  with  us,  and,  of  course,  there  followed 
some  curious  stories  of  the  gorillas.  I  listened  in  silence. 

One  of  the  men  told  a  story  of  two  Mbondemo  women 
who  were  walking  together  through  the  woods,  when 
suddenly  an  immense  gorilla  stepped  into  the  path,  and, 
clutching  one  of  the  women,  bore  her  off  in  spite  oi  the 
screams  and  struggles  of  both.  The  other  woman  re- 
turned to  the  village  much  frightened,  and  told  the  story. 
Of  course  her  companion  was  given  up  for  lost.  Great 
was  the  surprise  when,  a  few  days  afterward,  she  re* 
turned  to  her  home. 

"  Yes,"  said  one  of  the  men, "  that  was  a  gorilla  inhab- 
ited by  a  spirit."  This  explanation  was  received  by  a 
general  grunt  of  approval. 

One  of  the  men  told  how,  some  years  ago,  a  party  of 
gorillas  were  found  in  a  cane-field  tying  up  the  sugar- 
cane in  regular  bundles  preparatory  to  carrying  it  awray. 
The  natives  attacked  them,  but  were  routed,  and  several 
killed,  while  others  were  carried  off  prisoners  by  the  go- 
rillas ;  but  in  a  few  days  they  returned  home,  not  unin- 
jured indeed,  for  the  nails  of  their  fingers  and  toes  had 
been  torn  off  by  their  captors. 

Then  several  people  spoke  up,  and  mentioned  names 
of  dead  men  whose  spirits  were  known  to  be  dwelling  in 
gorillas. 

Finally  came  the  story  that  is  current  among  all  the 
tribes  who  are  acquainted  with  the  habits  of  the  gorilla, 
that  this  animal  will  hide  himself  in  the  lower  branches 
of  a  tree,  and  there  lie  in  wait  for  people  who  go  to  and 
fro.  When  one  passes  sufficiently  near,  the  gorilla  grasj>s 


70  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

the  luckless  fellow  with  his  powerful  feet,  which  he  uses 
like  giants'  hands,  and,  drawing  the  man  up  into  the  tree, 
he  quietly  chokes  him  there. 

Hunger  and  starvation  began  to  tell  upon  us  severely  . 
When  we  started  I  did  not  calculate  on  meeting  with  go- 
rillas. I  had  eaten  all  my  sea-bread.  There  was  not  a 
particle  of  food  among  us,  and  no  settlement  near  us.  I 
began  to  feel  anxious  for  fear  that  we  should  die.  Ber- 
ries were  scarce,  and  nuts  were  hardly  to  be  found.  The 
forest  seemed  deserted.  There  was  not  even  a  bird  to 
kill.  To  make  matters  worse,  we  had  been  misled.  We 
were  lost — lost  in  the  great  forest ! — and  we  failed  to 
reach  a  certain  settlement  where  we  had  expected  to  ar- 
rive. 

Traveling  on  an  empty  stomach  is  too  exhausting  to 
be  very  long  endured.  The  third  day  I  awoke  feeble, 
but  found  that  one  of  the  men  had  killed  a  monkey. 
This  animal,  roughly  roasted  on  the  coals,  tasted  deli- 
cious. How  I  wished  we  had  ten  monkeys  to  eat !  but 
how  glad  and  grateful  we  were  for  that  single  one. 

Presently  Makinda,  looking  up,  discovered  a  bee-hive. 
He  smoked  the  bees  out,  and  I  divided  the  honey.  There 
might  have  been  a  fight  over  this  sweet  booty  had  I  not 
interposed  and  distributed  it  in  equal  shares.  Serving 
myself  with  a  portion  not  bigger  than  I  gave  the  rest,  I 
at  once  sat  down,  and  devoured  honey,  wax,  dead  bees, 
worms,  dirt,  and  all,  I  was  so  hungry.  I  was  only  sorry 
we  had  not  more. 

I  had  really  a  hard  time  getting  through  the  old  ele- 
phant tracks,  which  were  the  best  roads  through  the  jun 
gle.  The  men  seemed  to  have  lost  their  way.  We  saw 
no  animals,  but  found  several  gorillas'  tracks. 


A  MBICHO  VILLAGE.— GOUAMBA.  71 

At  last  my  men  began  to  talk  more  cheerfully ;  they 
knew  where  they  were;  and,  soon  after,!  saw  the  broad 
leaves  of  the  plantain,  the  forerunner  of  an  African  town. 
But,  alas !  as  we  approached  we  saw  no  one  coming  to 
meet  us ;  and  when  we  reached  the  place  we  found  only 
a  deserted  village.  But  even  for  this  how  thankful  I 
was !  Since  I  left  Dayoko  I  had  experienced  nothing 
but  hunger  and  starvation,  and  these  were  the  first  hu- 
man habitations  we  had  met. 

Presently,  however,  some  Mbicho  people  made  their 
appearance.  They  were  relatives  of  Mbene",  and  their 
village  was  close  by.  They  gave  us  some  plantains,  but 
no  fowls.  I  wished  very  much  to  get  a  fowl.  I  felt 
gouamba  (which  means  hunger)  for  meat,  and  knew  that 
a  good  warm  fowl  broth  would  have  done  me  a  great 
deal  of  good.  We  spent  the  evening  in  the  houses,  dry- 
ing and  warming  ourselves.  It  was  much  better  than 
the  forest,  even  if  it  was  only  a  deserted  town. 

I  asked  if  we  should  ever  reach  the  Cannibal  country, 
and  found  that,  with  the  exception  of  the  Mbicho  village 
near  at  hand,  we  were  already  surrounded  on  three  sides 
by  Fan  villages. 

i  was  too  tired  to  rest.  Besides,  I  was  getting  deep 
into  the  interior  of  Africa,  and  was  in  the  neighborhooo. 
of  the  Fans,  the  most  warlike  tribe  that  inhabited  the 
country.  So  I  barricaded  my  hut,  got  my  ammunition 
ready,  saw  that  my  guns  were  all  right,  and  then  la? 
awake  for  a  long  time  before  I  could  go  to  sleep. 


KINO  A8TON18HEP  AT  A  LOOK1N«-GLA89. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

I    ARRIVE    AMONG    THE    CANNIBALS. THEIR    SPEARS,    BOWS 

AND    BATTLE-AXES. THEY    TAKE    ME   FOR    A    SPIRIT. — • 

THEIR  KING    SHAKES  WHEN    HE    SEES   ME. 1  GIVE   HIM  A 

LOOKING-GLASS. IT  ASTONISHES   HIM. 

WE  were,  at  last,  near  the  Fan  country.  "We  had 
passed  the  last  Mbichos  village,  and  were  on  our  way  to 
the  villages  of  the  man-eaters. 

I  remember  well  the  first  Fan  village  I  approached. 
It  stood  on  the  summit  of  a  high  hill  in  the  mountains, 
All  its  inhabitants  were  very  much  excited  when  thej 
perceived  we  were  coming  toward  it,  through  the  planta- 
tion path;  for  the  trees  around  the  hill  had  been  cut 
down.  The  men  were  armed  to  the  teeth  as  we  entered 
the  village,  and  I  knew  not  whether  hundreds  of  spears 


I  ARRIVE  AMONG  THE  CANNIBALS.  73 

and  poisoned  arrows  might  not  be  thrown  at  me,  and  I 
be  killed  on  the  spot.  What  dreadful  spears  those  Can- 
nibals had ;  they  \vere  all  barbed.  Each  man  had  sev- 
eral in  his  hand ;  and,  besides,  had  a  shield  made  of  ele- 
phant's hide,  to  protect  himself  with.  Others  were  arm- 
ed with  huge  knives,  and  horrible-looking  battle-axes,  or 
with  bows  and  poisoned  arrows. 

Wild  shouts  of  astonishment,  which,  for  all  I  knew, 
were  war-shouts,  greeted  me  as  I  entered  the  village.  I 
must  own  that  I  felt  not  quite  at  my  ease.  How  wild 
and  fierce  these  men  looked !  They  were  most  scantily 
dressed.  When  they  shouted  they  showed  their  teeth, 
wThich  were  filed  to  a  point,  and  colored  black.  Their 
open  mouths  put  me  uncomfortably  in  mind  of  a  tomb ; 
for  how  many  human  creatures  each  of  these  men  had 
eaten ! 

How  ugly  the  women  looked !  They  were  all  tat- 
tooed, and  nearly  naked.  They  fled  with  their  children 
into  their  houses  as  I  passed  through  the  street,  in  which 
I  saw,  here  and  there,  human  bones  lying  about.  Yes, 
human  bones  from  bodies  that  had  been  devoured  by 
them !  Such  are  my  recollections  of  my  first  entrance 
into  a  village  of  Cannibals. 

The  village  was  strongly  fenced  or  palisaded,  and  OH 
the  poles  were  several  skulls  of  human  beings  and  of 
gorillas.  There  was  but  a  single  street,  about  two  thirds 
of  a  mile  long.  On  each  side  of  this  were  low  huts, 
made  of  the  bark  of  trees. 

I  had  hardly  entered'the  village  when  1  perceived  some 
bloody  remains,  which  appeared  to  me  to  be  human. 
Presently  we  passed  a  woman  who  was  running  as  fast 
as  she  could  toward  her  hut.  She  bore  in  her  hand  a 


74  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  C<>t'\Ti;Y. 

piece  of  a  human  thigh,  just  as  we  would  go  to  market 
and  carry  thence  a  joint  or  steak. 

Tliis  was  a  very  large  village.  At  last  we  arrived  at 
the  palaver  house.  Here  I  was  left  alone  with  Mbene 
for  a  little  while.  There  was  great  shouting  going  on  at 
a  little  distance,  at  the  back  of  some  houses.  One  of 
them  said  they  had  been  busy  dividing  the  body  of  a 
dead  man,  and  that  there  was  not  enough  for  all. 

They  nocked  in  presently,  and  soon  I  was  surrounded 
by  an  immense  crowd.  Not  far  from  me  was  a  fero- 
cious-looking fellow.  On  one  arm  he  supported  a  very 
large  shield,  made  of  an  elephant's  hide,  and  of  the 
thickest  part  of  the  skin,  while  in  his  other  hand  he  held 
a  prodigious  war-knife,  which  he  could  have  slashed 
through  a  man  in  a  jiffy. 

Some  in  the  crowd  were  armed  with  cross-bows,  from 
which  are  shot  either  iron-headed  arrows,  or  the  little 
insignificant-looking,  but  really  most  deadly  darts,  tipped 
with  poison.  These  are  made  of  slender,  harmless  reeds, 
a  foot  long,  whose  sharpened  ends  are  dipped  in  a  deadly 
vegetable  poison,  which  these  people  know  how  to  make. 
These  poisoned  darts  are  so  light  that  they  would  blow 
away  if  simply  laid  in  the  groove  of  the  bow.  Hence 
they  use  a  kind  of  sticky  gum  to  hold  them. 

The  handle  of  the  bow  is  ingeniously  split,  and  by  a 
little  peg,  that  acts  as  a  trigger,  the  bow-string  is  disen- 
gaged. The  bow  is  very  stiff  and  strong,  and  sends  the 
arrow  to  a  great  distance.  As  you  see  by  the  represent- 
ation of  a  Fan  bowman,  they  have  to  sit  down  and  apply 
both  feet  to  the  middle  of  the  bow,  while  they  pull  with 
all  their  strength  on  the  string  to  bend  it  back. 

These  little  poisoned  arrows  are  much  dreaded  by 


FAN  IMPLEMENTS  OF  WARFARE.  75 

them,  and  are  very  carefully  kept  by  them  in  little  bags, 
and  which  are  made  of  the  skin  of  wild  animals. 

Some  bore  on  their  shoulders  the  terrible  war-axe. 
One  blow  of  this  axe  suffices  to  split  a  human  skull.  1 
saw  that  some  of  these  axes,  as  wrell  as  their  spears  and 
other  iron-work,  were  beautifully  ornamented. 

The  war-knife,  which  hangs  by  their  side,  is  a  terrible 
weapon.  It  is  used  in  hand-to-hand  conflict,  and  is  de- 
signed to  be  thrust  through  the  enemy's  body.  There 
was  also  another  sort  of  huge  knife  used  by  some  of 
the  men  in  the  crowd  before  me.  It  was  a  foot  long, 
about  eight  inches  wide,  and  is  used  to  cut  through  the 
shoulders  of  an  adversary.  It  must  do  tremendous  exe- 
cution. 

A  few  of  the  men  had  also  a  very  singular  pointed 
axe,  which  is  thrown  from  a  distance.  When  thrown,  it 
strikes  with  the  point  down,  and  inflicts  a  terrible  wound. 
They  handle  it  with  great  dexterity.  The  object  aimed 
at  with  this  axe  is  the  head.  The  point  penetrates  to  the 
brain,  and  kills  the  victim  immediately. 

The  spears  were  six  or  seven  feet  long,  and  are  ingen- 
iously adapted  to  inflict  terrible  wounds.  They  are  thrown 
with  an  accuracy  and  a  force  which  never  ceased  to  aston- 
ish me.  The  long,  slender  staff  fairly  whistles  through 
the  air,  and  woe  to  the  man  who  is  within  twenty  or 
thirty  yards  of  their  reach. 

Most  of  the  knives  and  axes  were  ingeniously  sheathed 
in  covers  made  of  snake  or  antelope  skins,  or  of  human 
skin.  These  sheaths  wrere  slung  round  the  shoulder  or 
neck  by  cords,  which  permit  the  weapon  to  hang  at  the 
side,  out  of  the  wearer's  way. 

These  Fan  warriors  had  no  armor.    Their  only  weapon 


76  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA   COUNTRY. 

of  defunse  is  the  huge  shield  of  elephant  hide  of  which 
I  spoke  to  you.  It  is  three  and  a  half  feet  long,  by  two 
and  a  half  feet  wide. 

Besides  their  weapons,  many  of  the  men  wore  a  small 
knife,  as  a  table-knife  or  jack-knife. 

From  this  description  of  the  men  by  whom  I  was  sur- 
rounded, you  may  judge  with  what  amazement  I  looked 
around  me,  with  my  guns  in  my  hands.  It  was  a  gnu  id 
sight  to  see  such  a  number  of  stalwart,  martial,  fk-nr.- 
looking  fellows,  fully  armed  and  ready  for  any  desperate 
fray,  gathered  together., 

Finer-looking  savages  I  never  saw ;  and  I  could  easily 
believe  them  to  be  brave ;  and  the  completeness  of  their 
warlike  equipments  proved  that  fighting  is  a  favorite 
pastime  witUthem.  No  wonder  they  are  dreaded  l>y.  all 
theif 'neighbors!  .  :  .-'• 

Here  was  I,  at  this 'time  only  a -lad,  alone  in  the  midst 
of  them. 

Presently  came  the  king,  a  ferocious-looking  fellow. 
His  body  was  naked.  His  skin  in  front  was  painted  red, 
and  his  chest,  stomach,  and  back  were  tattooed  in  a  rude 
but  effective  manner.  He  was  covered  with  charms, 
and  wore  round  his  neck  a  necklace  made  with  leopard's 
teeth.  He  was  fully  armed.  Most  of  the  Fans  wore 
queues ;  but  the  queue  of  Ndiayai,  the  king,  was  the  big- 
gest of  all,  and  terminated  in  two  tails,  in  which  were 
strung  brass  rings.  His  beard  was  plaited  in  several 
plaits,  which  contained  white  beads.  His  teeth  were  filed 
sharp  to  a  point.  He  looked  like  a  perfect  glutton  of 
human  flesh. 

I  looked  around  me  in  a  cool,  impassive  manner. 
Ndiayai,  the  king,  fairly  shook  at  the  sight  of  me.  He 


NDIA  YAI.—MASHUMHA.  77 

had  refused  to  come  and  see  me,  at  first,  from  a  belief 
that  he  would  die  in  three  days  after  setting  eyes  on  me. 
But  Mbenc  had  persuaded  him  to  come. 

Kdiayai  was  accompanied  by  the  queen,  the  ugliest 
woman  I  ever  saw,  and  very  old.  She  was  called  Ma- 
shumba.  She  was  nearly  naked,  her  only  covering  being 
a  strip  of  cloth  about  four  inches  wide,  made  of  the  soft 
bark  of  a  tree,  and  dyed  red.  Her  body  was  tattooed  in 
the  most  fanciful  manner ;  her  skin,  from  long  exposure, 
had  become  rough  and  knotty.  She  wore  two  enormous 
iron  anklets,  and  had  in  her  ears  a  pair  of  copper  rings 
two  inches  in  diameter.  I  could  easily  put  my  little  fin- 
gers in  the  holes  through  which  the  earrings  passed. 

The  people  looked  at  me,  wondered  at  my  hair,  but 
never  ceased  to  look  at  my  feet.  They  thought  my  boots 
were  my  own  feet.  "  Look  at  the  strange  being,"  said 
they  to  each  other ;  "  his  feet  are  not  of  the  color  of  his 
face,  and  he  has  no  toes !" 

Finally  the  king  said  to  Mbene*  that,  when  surrounded 
by  his  people,  he  was  not  afraid  of  any  body. 

I  could  well  believe  him.  When  fighting  they  must 
look  perfect  devils. 

"When  night  came  I  entered  my  house,  and  looked 
about  to  see  how  I  could  barricade  myself  for  the  night, 
for  I  did  not  fancy  putting  myself  entirely  at  the  mercy 
of  these  savage  Fans.  Their  weapons  had  been  sufficient 
to  show  me  that  they  were  men  who  were  not  afraid  to 
fight.  I  told  Mbene  to  send  for  Ndiayai.  .The  king 
came,  and  I  presented  him  a  large  bunch  of  white  beads, 
a  looking-glass,  a  file,  fire-steels,  and  some  gun-flints.  Hie 
countenance  beamed  with  joy.  I  never  saw  such  aston- 
ishment as  he  exhibited  when  I  held  the  looking-glass  be 


?g  STORIES  Ol'  THE  GORILLA   COU\'TI\  Y. 

fore  his  face.  At  first  he  did  not  know  what  to  make  of 
it,  and  did  not  want  to  take  the  glass,  till  Mlx'nr  told  him 
that  he  had  one.  lie  put  his  tongue  out,  and  he  saw  it 
reflected  in  the  looking-glass.  Then  he  shut  one  eye,  and 
made  faces;  then  he  showed  his  hands  before  the  look- 
ing-glass— one  finger — two  fingers — three  iinuvrs.  He 
became  speechless,  and  with  all  I  had  given  him,  he  went 
away  as  "  happy  as  a  king;"  and  "every  inch  a  (savage) 
king"  he  was. 

Shortly  afterward,  Mashumba,  the  queen,  thinking  that 
probably  I  had  something  for  her,  also  came  and  brought 
me  a  basketful  of  plantains.  They  were  cooked.  At 
once  the  idea  rushed  into  my  mind  that  perhaps  the  very 
same  pot  that  cooked  the  plantains  had  cooked  a  Fan's 
head  in  the  morning,  and  I  began  to  have  a  horrible 
loathing  of  the  flesh-pots  of  these  people.  I  would  not 
have  cooked  in  their  pots  for  the  world. 

A  little  after  dark,  all  became  silent  in  the  village.  I 
barred  my  little  bit  of  a  door  as  well  as  I  could  with  my 
chest,  and,  lying  down  on  that  dreadful  Fan  bed,  I  placed 
my  gun  by  my  side,  and  tried  hard,  but  in  vain,  to  go  to 
sleep.  I  wondered  how  many  times  human  flesh  had  en- 
tered the  hut  I  was  in.  I  thought  of  all  I  had  seen  dur- 
ing the  day,  which  I  have  related  to  you.  The  faces  of 
those  terrible  warriors,  and  the  implements  of  war,  were 
before  my  eyes,  though  it  was  pitch  dark. 

Was  I  afraid  ?  Certainly  not.  What  feeling  was  it 
that  excited  me?  I  can  not  tell  you.  It  was  certainly 
not  fear ;  for  if  any  one  the  next  day  had  offered  to  take 
me  back  where  I  came  from,  I  should  have  declined  the 
offer.  Probably  I  was  agitated  by  the  novel  and  horrible 
eights  that  had  greeted  my  eyes,  and  which  exceeded  all 


/  TRY  TO  SLEEP.— A  PILE  OF  &ONES.  79 

my  previous  conceptions  of  Africa.  Now  and  then  1 
thought  that  as  these  men  not  only  killed  people,  but  ate 
them  also,  they  might  perhaps  be  curious  to  try  how  T 
tasted. 

Hour  after  hour  passed,  and  I  could  not  get  to  sleep. 
1  said  my  bed  was  a  dreadfully  bad  one.  It  was  a  frame 
composed  of  half  a  dozen  large  round  bamboos.  I  might 
as  well  have  tried  to  sleep  on  a  pile  of  cannon-balls. 
Finally  I  succeeded  in  going  to  sleep,  holding  my  gun 
tightly  under  my  arm. 

When  I  got  up  in  the  morning,  and  went  out  at  the 
back  of  the  house,  I  saw  a  pile  of  ribs,  leg  and  arm  bones, 
and  skulls  piled  together.  The  Cannibals  must  have  had 
a  grand  fight  not  long  before,  and  devoured  all  their 
prisoners  of  war. 

In  what  was  I  to  wash  my  face  ?  I  resolved  at  last 
not  to  wash  at  all. 


BMTfcAPPINO   THE    ELEVKAWT. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

AN   ELK1MIANT    HUNT. 

AFTER  a  few  days  the  Fans  began  to  get  accustomed 
to  me  and  I  to  them,  and  we  were  the  best  friends  in  the 
world. 

They  are  great  hunters.  One  day  a  woman  returning 
from  the  plantations  brought  news  that  she  had  seen  ele- 
phants, and  that  one  of  the  plantain-fields  had  been  en- 
tirely destroyed  by  them.  This  was  an  event  of  common 
occurrence  in  the  country;  for  the  elephants  are  not 
very  particular,  and  whatever  they  like  they  take,  not 
caring  a  bit  how  much  hunger  they  may  occasion  among 
the  poor  natives. 

When  the  news  arrived  a  wild  shout  of  joy  spread 
among  the  villagers.  The  grim  faces  of  the  Fans  smiled, 
and,  in  doing  so,  showed  their  ugly  filed  teeth.  <k  We 


A  FAN  WAR-DANCE.  81 

are  going  to  kill  elephants,"  they  all  shouted  "We 
are  going  to  have  plenty  of  meat  to  eat,"  shrieked  the 
women. 

So,  in  the  evening,  a  war-dance  took  place;  a  war 
dance  of  Cannibals!  It  was  the  wildest  scene  I  ever 
saw.  It  was  pitch-dark,  and  the  torches  threw  a  dim 
light  around  us,  and  showed  the  fantastic  forms  of  these 
wild  men.  Really  it  was  a  wild  scene.  They  were  all 
armed  as  if  they  were  going  to  war.  How  they  gesticu- 
lated. What  contortions  they  made !  What  a  tumult 
they  raised  !  How  their  wild  shouts  echoed  from  hill  to 
hill,  and  died  away  in  the  far  distance !  They  looked 
like  demons.  Their  skins  were  painted  of  different  col- 
ors ;  and,  as  the  dancing  went  on,  their  bodies  became 
warm,  and  shone  as  if  they  had  been  dipped  in  oil. 

Suddenly  a  deafening  shout  of  the  whole  assemblage 
seemed  to  shake  the  earth.  Their  greatest  warrior  (Leop- 
ard) came  to  dance.  Leopard  was,  it  appears,  the  brav- 
est of  them  all.  He  had  killed  more  people  in  war  than 
any  body  else,  lie  had  given  more  human  food  to  his 
fellow-townsmen  than  many  other  warriors  put  together. 
Hence  they  all  admired  and  praised  him ;  and  a  song 
describing  his  feats  of  arms  was  sung  by  those  who  sur- 
rounded him.  How  ferocious  he  looked !  He  was  arm- 
ed to  the  teeth.  He  had  a  spear  like  one  of  those  I  have 
already  described.  A  long  knife  hung  by  his  side,  and 
the  hand  that  held  the  shield  carried  a  battle-axe  also. 
In  dancing,  he  acted  at  times  as  if  he  were  defending 
himself  against  an  attack ;  at  other  times,  as  if  he  were 
himself  attacking  somebody.  Once  or  twice  I  thought 
he  really  meant  to  throw  his  spear  at  some  one.  I  could 
hardly  breathe  while  looking  at  him.  He  appeared  ac- 
6 


82  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

tually  to  be  a  demon.     Finally  lie  stopped  from 
exhaustion,  and  others  took  liis  place. 

The  next  day  the  men  furbished  up  their  arms.  I 
myself  cleaned  my  guns,  and  got  ready  for  the  <-lin-e, 
so  that,  if  I  should  get  a  chance,  I  might  send  a  bullet 
through  an  elephant. 

The  war-dish  was  cooked.  It  is  a  mixture  of  herbs. 
and  is  supposed  to  inspire  people  with  courage.  They 
rubbed  their  bodies  with  it,  and  then  we  started.  Tlie re- 
were  about  five  hundred  men.  After  leaving  the  village 
we  divided  into  several  parties.  Each  party  was  well 
acquainted  with  the  forest,  and  knew  just  where  to  go. 
The  march  was  conducted  in  perfect  silence,  so  that  M-e 
might  not  alarm  the  elephants.  After  proceeding  six 
hours  we  arrived  not  far  from  the  hunting-ground  where 
the  elephants  were  supposed  to  be.  The  Fans  built  shel- 
ters, and  these  were  hardly  finished  when  it  began  to 
rain  very  hard. 

The  next  day  some  Fans  went  out  to  explore  the  woods, 
and  I  joined  the  party.  The  fallen  trees,  the  broken- 
down  limbs,  the  heavy  footprints,  and  the  trampled  un- 
derbrush, showed  plainly  that  there  had  been  many  ele- 
phants about.  There  were  no  regular  wTalks,  and  they 
had  strayed  at  random  in  the  forest. 

When  the  elephants  are  pleased  with  a  certain  neigh- 
borhood, they  remain  there  a  few  days.  When  they 
have  eaten  all  the  food  they  like,  and  nothing  remains, 
they  go  on  to  some  other  place. 

The  forest  here,  as  every  where  else,  was  full  of  rough, 
strong  climbing  plants,  many  of  which  reach  to  the  top 
of  the  tallest  trees.  They  are  of  ever}7  size ;  some  big- 
ger than  a  man's  thigh,  while  many  are  as  large  as  the 


ELEPHANT  TRAPS.— PITFALLS.  83 

ropes  of  which  the  rigging  of  a  ship  is  made.  These 
creepers  the  natives  twist  together,  and,  after  working 
very  hard,  they  succeed  in  constructing  a  huge  fence,  or 
obstruction.  Of  course  it  is  not  sufficient  to  hold  the 
elephant ;  but  when  he  gets  entangled  in  its  meshes,  it 
is  strong  enough  to  check  him  in  his  flight  till  the  hunt- 
ers can  have  time  to  kill  him.  When  an  elephant  is 
once  caught,  they  surround  the  huge  beast,  and  put  an 
end  to  his  struggles  by  incessant  discharges  of  their 
spears  and  guns. 

While  the  others  worked,  I  explored  the  forest.  See- 
ing that  the  men  were  careful  in  avoiding  a  certain 
place,  I  looked  down  on  the  ground,  and  saw  nothing. 
Then,  looking  up,  I  saw  an  immense  piece  of  wood  sus- 
pended by  the  wild  creepers  high  in  the  air,  and  fixed  in 
it  at  intervals  I  saw  several  large,  heavy,  sharp-pointed 
pieces  of  iron  pointing  downward.  The  rope  that  holds 
up  this  contrivance  is  so  arranged  that  the  elephant  can 
not  help  touching  it  if  he  passes  underneath.  Then  the 
hanou  (such  is  the  name  given  to  the  trap)  is  loosed,  and 
falls  with  a  tremendous  force  on  his  back;  the  iron 
points  pierce  his  body,  and  the  piece  of  wood,  in  falling, 
generally  breaks  his  spine. 

I  also  saw,  in  different  places,  large,  deep  ditches,  in- 
tended as  pitfalls  for  the  elephant.  When  he  runs  away, 
or  roams  around  at  night,  he  often  falls  into  these  pits, 
and  that  is  the  end  of  him ;  for,  in  falling,  he  generally 
breaks  his  legs.  Sometimes,  when  the  natives  go  and 
visit  the  pit  they  have  made,  they  find  nothing  but  the 
bones  of  the  elephants  and  his  ivory  tusks. 

The  fence  that  the  natives  had  made  must  have  bean 
several  miles  long,  and  in  many  places  was  several  rows 


84  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

deep ;  and  now  there  were  elephant  pits  beside,  and  the 
lianous. 

We  were,  you  must  remember,  in  a  mountainous  coun- 
try ;  and  I  could  hardly  believe  my  eyes  when  I  si\v 
plainly  the  footprints  of  this  animal  where  I  myself  li;i<l 
to  hold  to  the  creepers  to  be  able  to  ascend. 

When  every  thing  was  ready,  part  of  the  men  went 
silently  and  hid  themselves  upon  the  limbs  or  beside  the 
trunks  of  trees  near  the  barrier  or  "  tangle."  Others  of 
us  took  a  circuitous  route  in  an  opposite  direction  from 
that  in  wThich  we  had  come.  After  we  had  got  miles 
away  from  the  "  tangle,"  we  formed  a  chain  as  long  in 
extent  as  the  fence,  and  moved  forward,  forming  a  semi- 
circle, with  the  men  ten  or  twenty  yards  apart  from  each 
other. 

Presently,  all  along  the  line  the  hunting  horns  were 
sounded,  wild  shouts  were  sent  up,  and,  making  all  the 
noise  they  could,  the  Fans  advanced  in  the  direction  of 
the  "  tangle."  The  elephants  were  entrapped.  Hearing 
the  noise,  of  course  they  moved  away  from  ns,  breaking 
down  every  thing  before  them  in  their  flight.  If  they 
tried  to  go  to  the  right,  they  heard  the  same  wild  shouts ; 
if  they  tried  to  go  to  the  left,  they  heard  the  same. 
There  was  no  other  way  for  them  to  go  but  straight 
ahead ;  and  there,  though  they  did  not  know  it,  were 
the  tangle,  the  pits,  and  the  hanou.  They  wrere  going 
to  surer  death  than  if  they  had  tried  to  break  our  lines ; 
for  then  most,  if  not  all  of  them,  would  have  escaped. 
We  were  too  far  from  each  other  to  hinder  them. 

Onward  we  pressed,  the  circle  of  those  giving  chase 
becoming  smaller  and  smaller,  and  the  crashing  of  the 
underbrush  more  distinct,  as  we  approached  the  ele- 


AN  ELEPHANT  HUNT.  85 

pliants  in  their  flight.  The  men's  countenances  became 
excited.  They  gut  their  spears  in  readiness ;  and  soon 
we  came  in  sight  of  the  tangles.  What  an  extraordi- 
nary sight  lay  before  me !  I  could  distinguish  one  ele- 
phant, enraged,  terrified,  tearing  at  every  thing  with  his 
trunk  and  feet,  but  all  in  vain !  The  tough  creepers  of 
the  barrier  in  no  instance  gave  way  before  him.  Spear 
after  spear  was  thrown  at  him.  The  Fans  were  every 
where,  especially  up  on  the  trees,  where  they  were  out  of 
the  reach  of  the  elephant.  The  huge  animal  began  to 
look  like  a  gigantic  porcupine,  he  was  stuck  so  full  of 
spears.  Poor  infuriated  beast !  I  thought  he  Avas  crazy. 
Every  spear  that  wounded  him  made  him  more  furious ! 
But  his  struggles  were  in  vain.  He  had  just  dropped 
down  when  I  came  close  to  him,  and,  to  end  his  suffer- 
ings, I  shot  him  through  the  ear.  After  a  few  convul- 
sions of  limb  all  became  quiet.  He  was  dead. 

Some  of  the  elephants  had  succeeded  in  going  through 
the  tangle,  and  were  beyond  reach. 

Foul*  elephants  had  been  slain ;  and  1  was  told  that  a 
man  had  been  killed  by  one  of  the  elephants,  which 
turned  round  and  charged  his  assailants.  This  man  did 
not  move  off  in  time,  and  was  trampled  under  foot  by 
the  monstrous  beast.  Fortunately,  the  elephant  got  en- 
tangled, and,  in  an  instant,  he  was  covered  with  spears, 
and  terribly  wounded.  After  much  loss  of  blood  he 
dropped  down  lifeless. 

I  am  sure  you  will  agree  with  me,  after  the  descrip- 
tion I  have  given  of  a  Fan  elephant  hunt,  that  the  men 
of  this  tribe  are  gifted  with  remarkable  courage  and 
presence  of  mind. 

They  have   certain  rules  for  hunting  the   elephant 


86  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

These  tell  you  never  to  approach  an  elephant  except 
from  behind ;  he  can  not  turn  very  fast,  and  you  have, 
therefore,  time  to  make  your  escape.  He  generally 
rushes  blindly  forward.  Great  care  must  also  be  taken 
that  the  strong  creepers,  which  are  so  fatal  to  the  ele- 
phant, do  not  also  catch  and  entangle  the  hunters  them- 
selves. A  man  lying  in  wait  to  spear  an  elephant  should 
always  choose  a  stout  tree,  in  order  that  the  infuriated 
beast,  should  he  charge  at  it,  may  not  uproot  it. 

The  next  day  there  was  a  dance  round  the  elephant, 
while  the  fetich-man  cut  a  piece  from  one  of  the  hind 
legs.  This  was  intended  for  their  idol.  The  meat  was 
cooked  in  presence  of  the  fetich-man,  and  of  those  who 
had  speared  the  elephant.  As  soon  as  all  the  meat  had 
been  cooked  they  danced  round  it,  and  a  piece  was  sent 
into  the  woods  for  the  spirit  to  feed  upon,  if  he  liked. 
The  next  day  the  meat  was  all  cut  up  in  small  pieces, 
then  hung  up  and  smoked. 

The  cooking  and  smoking  lasted  three  days,  and  I  can 
assure  you  it  is  the  toughest  meat  I  ever  tasted.  Of 
course,  like  the  Fans,  I  had  no  other  food,  and  for  three 
days  I  ate  nothing  but  elephant  meat.  I  wish  I  could 
give  you  a  notion  how  it  tastes,  but  really  I  do  not  know 
what  to  compare  it  with.  Beef,  mutton,  lamb,  pork, 
venison,  make  not  the  slightest  approach  to  a  resem- 
blance ;  and  as  for  poultry,  such  a  comparison  would  be 
positively  aggravating ! 

The  proboscis  being  one  of  the  favorite  morsels,  a 
large  piece  of  it  was  given  to  me.  The  foot  is  another 
part  reputed  to  be  a  great  dainty,  and  two  feet  were 
sent  me,  together  with  a  large  piece  of  the  leg  for  9 
roast. 


ELETUAXT  MKA  T  RA  TllER  TOUGH.  87 

But  the  meat  was  so  tough  that  I  had  to  boil  it  for 
twelve  hours,  and  then  I  believe  it  was  as  tough  as  ever; 
it  seemed  to  be  full  of  gristle.  So,  the  next  day,  I  boiled 
it  again  for  twelve  hours ;  all  my  trouble,  however,  was 
unavailing,  for  it  was  still  hopelessly  tough !  I  may  say 
that  the  more  I  ate  of  elephant  meat  the  more  I  got  to 
dislike  it.  I  do  not  think  I  shall  ever  hanker  after  ele- 
phant steak  as  long  as  I  live.  I  wonder  if  you  boys 
would  like  it?  I  wish  I  had  some,  and  could  induce  you 
to  taste  of  it.  I  am  inclined  to  think  you  would  agree 
with  me,  and  never  desire  to  renew  your  acquaintance 
with  it. 

How  glad  I  was  when  I  returned  to  Kdiayai  village ; 
and  no  wonder,  for  we  had  rain  every  day  in  the  woods. 
As  for  the  poor  man  who  had  been  killed  by  the  ele- 
phant, his  body  was  sent  to  another  clan  to  be  devoured, 
for  the  Cannibals  do  not  eat  their  own  people. 


FAN  BT.AOKTOnTHS  AT  WORK. 


CHAPTER  X. 

LIFE   AMONG    TITE    CANNIBALS. CURIOUS    MUSICAL    TNSTRU 

MENTS. COOKING     UTENSILS. A    BLACKSMITH^    BELLOWS 

AND   ANVIL. — CANNIBAL   DIET. 

AFTER  we  reached  Ndiayai,  I  went  back  to  my  little 
hut,  and  found  every  thing  I  had  left  there.  I  had  hid- 
den my  powder  and  shot  in  different  places,  and  had  dug 
holes  in  which  to  hide  my  beads. 

The  news  had  spread  among  the  surrounding  Canni- 
bal villages  that  the  spirit,  as  they  called  me,  was  still  in 
the  village  of  Ndiayai,  and  the  people  flocked  to  see  me. 
Among  those  who  came  to  see  me  was  a  chief  of  the 
name  of  Oloko.  He  gave  me  the  long  war-knife,  of 
which  you  have  seen  a  drawing,  and  explained  to  me 
how  it  had  several  times  gone  right  through  a  man. 

went  away  for  a  while,  and  left  me  entirely 


THE  FANS.— CURIOUS  MUSICAL  INSTRUMENTS.   89 

alone  with  these  Cannibals.  During  his  absence  I  stud- 
ied the  habits  of  these  strange  people,  and  you  may  be 
sure  that  wherever  I  went  I  kept  my  eyes  wide  open. 

By  the  way,  I  see  I  have  omitted  to  give  a  description 
of  the  town  of  King  Ndiayai.  It  was  a  very  large  town, 
composed  of  a  single  street.  When  I  say  a  large  town, 
I  do  not  mean,  of  course,  that  it  could  bear  any  compari- 
son as  to  size  with  London,  Paris,  or  New  York.  I  mean 
that  it  was  a  large  town  for  this  part  of  Africa,  it  con- 
taired  five  or  six  hundred  men.  The  houses  were  quite 
small,  and  were  all  made  of  the  bark  of  trees ;  none  of 
them  had  windows.  They  were  nearly  all  of  the  same 
size. 

Strange  to  say,  these  Fans  seemed  to  be  very  fond  of 
music,  and  very  funny  instruments  they  make  use  of ! 
To  hear  some  of  their  music  would  make  you  laugh. 
They  have  not  the  slightest  idea  of  what  we  consider 
harmony  in  sound,  but  they  evidently  have  a  great  liking 
for  music  after  their  own  notion.  It  is  very  much  the 
same  with  their  dancing.  They  have  not  the  slightest 
idea  of  the  dances  in  nse  with  us,  such  as  waltzes,  galops, 
polkas,  or  quadrilles  ;  and  I  am  sure,  if  they  were  to  see 
us  dancing  in  our  fashion,  they  would  laugh  quite  as 
much  as  you  would  laugh  if  you  could  see  them  caper- 
ing in  their  uncouth  style. 

Like  all  the  savage  tribes  of  Africans,  they  are  very 
fond  of  the  tom-tom,  or  drum.  These  drums  are  of  dif- 
ferent sizes,  but  many  are  from  four  to  six  feet  in  length, 
and  about  ten  inches  in  diameter  at  one  end,  but  only  six 
or  seven  at  the  other.  The  wood  is  hollowed  out  quite 
thin,  and  skins  of  animals  are  stretched  tightly  over  the 
ends.  The  drummer  holds  the  tom-tom  slantingly  be« 


90  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

tween  his  legs,  and  with  two  sticks  he  beats  furiously 
upon  the  larger  end  of  the  drum,  which  is  held  upper, 
most.  Sometimes  they  beat  upon  it  with  their  hands. 
The  people  form  a  circle  round  the  tom-tom,  and  danco 
and  sing,  keeping  time  with  it.  They  often  invited  me 
to  hear  them. 

But  now  I  am  going  to  speak  to  you  of  a  far  more 
curious  instrument.  It  is  called  by  these  Cannibals  the 
handja,  and  I  never  saw  it  except  among  their  tribes. 

Ndiayai  was  very  fond  of  hearing  the  handja,  and  I 
often  went  to  his  shed  to  hear  some  one  play  upon  it. 
Sometimes,  on  these  occasions,  Ndiayai  would  come  out, 
surrounded  by  Queen  Mashumba  and  some  of  his  other 
wives,  and  listen  for  an  hour  or  two  to  the  music  of  the 
handja. 

I  give  you  here  a  representation  of  the  handja,  so  that 
you  will  understand  it  better  when  I  describe  it  to  you. 


THE   IIANTUA. 


It  consists  of  a  light  reed  frame,  about  three  feet  long 
and  eighteen  inches  wide,  in  which  are  set,  and  securely 
fastened,  a  number  of  hollow  gourds.  The  handja  I  saw 
contained  seven  gourds.  These  gourds  are  covered  by 


THE  FANS  SKILLFUL  BLACKSMITHS.  9J. 

strips  of  a  hard  red  wood  found  in  the  forest.  These 
gourds  and  cylinders,  as  you  see,  are  of  different  sizes, 
BO  graduated  that  they  form  a  regular  series  of  notes. 
Each  gourd  has  a  little  hole,  which  is  covered  with  a  sku> 
thinner  than  parchment.  And  what  kind  of  skin  do  you 
think  it  was  ?  It  was  the  skin  of  the  very  large  spidei 
which  abounds  in  that  country,  and  from  which  I  should 
not  care  to  receive  a  bite,  it  is  so  poisonous. 

The  performer  sits  down,  with  the  frame  across  his 
knees,  and  strikes  the  strips  lightly  with  a  stick.  There 
are  two  sticks,  one  of  hard  wood,  the  other  of  much  soft- 
er wood.  The  instrument  is  played  on  the  same  princi- 
ple as  a  chime  of  bells,  or  an  instrument  used  in  France, 
and  which,  perhaps,  some  of  you  have  seen,  composed  of 
a  series  of  glasses.  The  tone  of  the  handja  is  very  clear 
and  good,  and,  though  their  tunes  were  rude,  they  played 
them  with  considerable  skill. 

The  Fans  work  iron  better  than  any  tribe  I  met  with. 
They  are  very  good  blacksmiths.  Their  warlike  habits 
have  made  iron  a  very  necessary  article  to  them.  It  is 
very  plentiful  in  their  mountainous  country. 

At  the  head  of  this  chapter  is  a  picture  of  two  Fan 
blacksmiths.  Look  at  the  curious  bellows  they  have.  It 
is  made  of  two  short,  hollow  cylinders  of  wood,  surmount- 
ed by  skins  very  well  fitted  on,  and  having  an  appropri- 
ate valve  for  letting  in  the  air.  As  you  see,  the  bellows- 
blower  is  on  his  knees,  moving  down  these  coverings  with 
great  rapidity.  There  are  two  small  wooden  pipes,  con- 
nected with  two  iron  tubes  which  go  into  the  fire. 

The  anvil,  as  you  see  in  the  picture,  is  a  solid  piece  of 
iron.  The  sharp  end  is  stuck  into  the  ground ;  and  the 
blacksmith  sits  alongside  his  anvil,  and  beats  his  irop 


02  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

with  a  singular-looking  hammer,  clumsy  in  form,  and 
with  no  handle;  in  fact,  it  is  merely  made  of  a  heavy 
piece  of  iron. 

The  blacksmiths  sometimes  spend  many  days  in  mak- 
ing a  battle-axe,  knife,  or  spear.  They  make,  also,  their 
own  cooking  utensils  and  water-jugs.  They  also  make 
their  own  pipes,  for  they  are  great  smokers.  Some  of 
their  pipes  are  not  at  all  ungraceful  in  shape. 

Besides  the  water-j  tig,  they  frequently  use  the  calabash 
as  a  vessel  to  carry  water  in ;  and  some  of  their  calabash- 
es are  really  pretty,  and  very  nicely  ornamented.  Some 
of  the  spoons,  with  which  they  eat  their  human  broth,  are 
very  beautiful.  They  are  made  of  various  woods,  and 
sometimes  of  ivory. 

It  is  quite  sickening  to  think  what  horrible  people 
these  Fans  are !  Such  inveterate  cannibals  are  they,  that 
they  even  eat  the  poor  wretches  who  die  of  disease.  As 
E  was  talking  to  the  king  one  day,  some  Fans  brought  in 
a  dead  body,  which  they  had  bought,  or  bartered  for,  in 
a  neighboring  town,  and  which  was  to  be  divided  among 
them.  I  could  see  that  the  man  had  died  of  some  dis- 
ease, for  the  body  was  very  lean.  They  came  round  it 
witli  their  knives;  and  Ndiayai  left  me  to  superintend 
the  distribution.  I  could  not  stand  this  j  and  when  I  saw 
them  getting  ready,  I  left  the  spot  and  went  to  my  hut. 
Afterward  I  could  hear  them  growing  noisy  over  the  di- 
vision of  their  horrid  spoil. 

In  fact,  the  Fans  seem  to  be  perfect  ghouls.  Those 
who  live  far  in  the  interior  practice  unblushingly  their 
horrid  custom  of  eating  human  flesh.  It  appears  they  do 
not  eat  the  dead  of  their  own  family,  but  sell  the  corpse 
to  some  other  clan,  or  make  an  agreement  that  when  one 


CANNIBAL  DIET.  93 

of  their  number  dies  they  will  return  the  body  in  ex- 
change. 

Until  I  saw  these  things  I  could  not  believe  a  story  I 
had  often  heard  related  among  the  Mpongwe  tribe,  which 
is  as  follows :  A  party  of  Fans  once  came  down  to  the 
sea-shore  to  view  the  ocean.  While  there,  they  actually 
stole  a  freshly  buried  body  from  the  cemetery,  and  cooked 
Euid  ate  it.  Another  body  was  taken  by  them  and  con- 
veyed into  the  woods,  where  they  cut  it  up  and  smoked 
Lhe  fle^h.  These  acts  created  a  great  excitement  among 
the  Mpongwes. 

But  you  must  not  think  that  the  Fans  are  continually 
eating  human  flesh.  They  eat  it  when  they  can  get  it, 
but  not  every  day.  They  kill  no  one  on  purpose  to  be 
eaten. 

One  day  Kdiayai  took  me  to  an  Osheba  town,  the  king 
ot  which  tribe  was  his  friend;  and  let  me  tell  you  that 
the  Oshebas  were  also  great  man-eaters,  like  the  Fans, 
whom  they  greatly  resemble  in  appearance.  The  chief 
of  that  Osheba  village  was  called  Bienbakay. 

The  Fans  are  the  handsomest  and  most  resolute-look- 
ing set  of  negroes  I  have  ever  seen  in  the  interior.  Eat- 
ing human  flesh  does  not  seem  to  disagree  with  them, 
though  I  have  since  seen  other  Fan  tribes  whose  men  had 
not  the  fine  appearance  of  these  mountaineers.  Here,  as 
<every  where  else,  the  character  of  the  country  doubtless 
has  much  to  do  with  the  matter  of  bodily  health  and 
growth.  These  Cannibals  were  living  among  the  moun- 
tains, and  had  come  from  still  higher  mountain  regions, 
and  this  accounts  for  their  being  so  robust  and  hardy. 

The  strangest  thing  in  connection  witli  the  Fans,  next 
to  their  hideous  cannibalism,  is  their  constant  encroach- 


94  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA   COUNTRY. 

incuts  upon  the  land  westward.  Year  by  year  they  have 
been  advancing  nearer  to  the  sea.  Town  after  town  ha* 
been  settled  by  them  on  the  banks  of  the  Gaboon  Ili\  or, 
In  fact,  they  seem  to  be  a  conquering  race,  driving  every 
other  tribe  before  them. 

The  color  of  these  people  is  dark  brown  rather  than 
black.  They  feed  much  upon  manioc  and  the  plantain. 
They  have  also  two  or  three  kinds  of  yams,  splendid 
sugar-cane,  and  squashes,  all  of  which  they  cultivate  with 
considerable  success.  Manioc  seemed  to  be  the  favorite 
food.  Enormous  quantities  of  squashes  are  raised,  chiefly 
for  the  seeds,  which,  when  pounded  and  prepared  in  their 
fashion,  are  much  prized  by  them,  and  I  confess  I  relish 
this  food  myself.  At  a  certain  season,  when  the  squash 
is  ripe,  their  villages  seem  covered  with  the  seeds,  which 
every  body  spreads  out  to  dry.  When  dried  they  are 
packed  in  leaves,  and  placed  over  the  fire-places  in  the 
smoke,  to  keep  off  an  insect  which  also  feeds  upon  them. 
They  are  all  suspended  by  a  cord,  for,  besides  being  in- 
fested by  insects,  they  are  subject  to  the  depredations  of 
mice  and  rats,  both  of  which  are  fond  of  them. 

The  process  of  preparation  is  very  tedious.  A  portion 
of  the  seeds  is  boiled,  and  each  seed  is  divested  of  its 
skin ;  then  the  mass  of  pulp  is  put  into  a  rude  wooden 
mortar  and  pounded,  a  vegetable  oil  being  mixed  with  it 
before  it  is  cooked. 

While  on  the  subject  of  the  food  of  the  Cannibals,  I 
ought  to  mention  that  they  do  not  sell  the  bodies  of  their 
chiefs,  kings,  or  great  men ;  these  receive  burial,  and  re- 
main undisturbed.  It  is  probable,  also,  that  they  do  not 
eat  the  corpses  of  people  who  die  of  special  diseases. 


NET-IITHMTIVO. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

JOURNEY    TO    YOONGOOLAPAY. HUNTING    WITH    NETS. THE 

TERRIBLE   BASHIKOUAY   ANTS. 

ON  my  way  to  tlie  sea-shore  from  the  Cannibal  coun- 
try I  had  a  good  deal  of  trouble.  I  had  taken  quite  an- 
other route  to  come  back ;  Mbene  and  his  people  left  me 
on  the  banks  of  a  river  called  the  Noya,  at  the  village  of 
a  chief  called  Wanga.  From  there  I  pushed  my  way  to- 
ward Yoongoolapay,  a  village  whose  chief  is  called  Ala- 
pay.  But  before  reaching  that  place  we  came  one  even- 
ing to  a  village  called  Ezongo.  The  inhabitants,  seeing 
our  heavy  loads,  turned  out  with  the  greatest  amount  of 
enthusiasm  to  receive  me.  Their  ardor  cooled  somewhat 
when  they  learned  the  contents  of  my  packages,  for  they 
were  the  birds  and  animals  I  had  collected.  The  rascal- 
ly chief,  thinking  I  must  place  a  great  value  on  things  I 


96  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

had  gone  so  far  to  get,  determined  to  detain  me  till  I 
paid  a  heavy  price  to  get  away,  and  for  a  while  things 
looked  as  if  I  should  have  a  good  deal  of  trouble.  The 
king,  urged  on  by  his  people,  who  seemed  to  be  a  greedy 
set  of  rascals,  insisted  on  his  price,  which  would  have  left 
me  empty-handed. 

At  last  my  Mbicho  guides  from  the  Noya  tried  to  set 
tie  the  matter.  They  were  wise  enough  to  get  the  king 
to  come  to  me  with  them  alone.  I  gave  the  rascal  a  coat 
and  an  old  shirt,  and  I  told  him  what  was  literally  true, 
that  I  was  very  poor,  and  could  not  pay  what  his  people 
wanted.  After  this  palaver,  he  went  out  at  once  and 
harangued  the  turbulent  extortioners. 

So  I  passed  on  safely  to  the  village  of  my  old  friend, 
King  Alapay,  whom  I  had  known  before,  and  who  was 
very  glad  to  see  me  again,  He  asked  me  to  stay  some- 
days  ;  and,  being  really  worn  out  with  constant  exposure, 
much  anxiety,  and  frequent  annoyance,  I  determined  to 
do  so.  His  village  is  charmingly  situated  upon  a  high 
hill,  which  overlooks  the  surrounding  country,  and  has  a 
beautiful  stream  skirting  its  base.  Moreover,  I  found  the 
people  very  kind,  peaceable,  and  hospitable. 

A  considerable  number  of  independent  Mbicho  vil- 
lages lay  within  a  circuit  of  a  fe\v  miles,  the  inhabitants 
of  which  lived  in  great  harmony  with  one  another,  hav- 
ing prudently  intermarried  to  such  a  degree  that  they 
really  constitute  a  large  family.  I  was  made  welcome 
among  them  all,  and  spent  some  very  pleasant  days  in 
limiting  with  these  kind-hearted  people,  and  particularly 
in  that  kind  of  sport  called  by  them  asfwza,  or  net-hunt- 
ing, a  practice  very  common  among  the  Bakalai,  who 
called  it  ashinga. 


HUNTING  WITH  NETS.  97 

This  singular  sport  is  very  much,  practiced  in  this  part 
of  Africa ;  and  as  it  is  generally  successful,  it  is  a  local 
amusement,  and  brings  out  the  best  traits  of  the  natives. 
I  was  always  very  fond  of  it. 

The  ashinga  nets  are  generally  made  of  the  fibres  of 
the  bark  of  a  kind  of  tree,  which  are  twisted  into  stout 
cords.  They  are  from  sixty  to  eighty  feet  long,  and  four 
to  five  feet  high,  and  every  well-to-do  village  owns  at 
least  one.  But,  as  few  villages  have  enough  nets  to 
make  a  great  spread,  it  generally  happens  that  several 
unite  in  a  grand  hunt,  and  divide  the  proceeds,  the  game 
caught  in  any  particular  net  falling  to  the  share  of  its 
owners. 

The  first  day  we  went  out,  the  people  of  half  a  dozen 
villages  met  together  at  an  appointed  place,  the  men  of 
each  bringing  their  nets.  Then  we  set  out  for  a  spot 
about  ten  miles  off,  where  they  had  a  clearing  in  the 
dense  woods,  which  had  been  used  before,  and  was  one 
of  their  hunting-grounds.  We  moved  along  in  silence, 
so  as  not  to  alarm  the  animals  which  might  be  near  our 
ground.  The  dogs — for  dogs  are  used  in  this  hunt — • 
were  kept  still,  and  close  together. 

Finally,  we  arrived  on  the  ground,  and  the  work  of 
spreading  the  toils  began.  Each  party  stretched  a  single 
net,  tying  it  up  by  creepers  to  the  lower  branches  of 
trees.  As  all  worked  in  the  same  direction,  and  each 
took  care  to  join  his  net  to  that  of  his  neighbor,  in  a  very 
short  time  we  had  a  line  of  netting  running  in  a  wide 
half  circle,  and  at  least  half  a  mile  long. 

This  done,  a  party  went  out  on  each  side  to  guard 
against  the  chance  of  escape,  and  the  rest  of  us  were 
ready  to  beat  the  bush.  We  started  at  about  a  mile 
1 


98  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA   COUNTRY. 

from  tlie  nets,  and,  standing  about  fifty  yards  from  cadi 
other,  we  advanced  gradually,  shouting  and  making  all 
the  noise  we  could,  at  the  same  time  keeping  our  arms 
in  readiness  to  shoot  or  spear  down  any  thing  which 
might  come  in  our  way. 

Though  this  very  spot  had  been  frequently  used  for 
net-hunting,  and  was  therefore  better  cleared  than  the 
neighboring  woods,  yet  we  were  obliged  to  proceed  al- 
most step  by  step.  Nearly  every  native  carried,  besides 
his  gun,  a  heavy  cutlass  or  bill,  with  which  it  was  neces- 
sary literally  to  hew  out  a  way,  the  vines  and  creepers 
making  a  network  which  only  the  beasts  of  the  forest 
could  glide  through  without  trouble. 

As  we  advanced,  so  did  the  men  that  guarded  the 
flanks ;  and  thus  our  party  gradually  closed  round  the 
prey.  Presently  we  began  to  hear  shouts,  but  MTe  could 
see  nothing ;  and  I  could  only  hold  my  gun  in  readiness, 
and  pray  that  my  neighbors  might  not  shoot  me  by  mis- 
take, for  they  are  fearfully  reckless  when  on  a  chase. 

The  dogs  had  for  some  time  been  let  loose.  At  last 
we  came  in  sight  of  the  nets.  We  had  caught  a  gazelle 
of  very  minute  size,  called  ncheri.  It  is  a  very  graceful 
little  animal,  and  would  make  a  pretty  pet,  though  I 
have  never  seen  one  tamed.  A  large  antelope  also  was 
brought  to  bay,  and  shot  before  I  came  up;  and  another 
antelope,  being  shot  at  and  missed,  rushed  forward  and 
got  entangled  in  the  net. 

Having  drawn  this  cover,  we  gathered  up  the  nets  and 
went  off  with  the  dogs,  who  enjoyed  the  sport  vastly,  to 
try  another  place.  After  walking  about  three  quarters 
of  an  hour  we  again  spread  our  nets.  Here  we  had  bet- 
ter luck,  catching  a  considerable  number  of  antelopes, 


ANTELOPE  HUNTING.  99 

gazelles,  and  some  smaller  animals.  It  was  pretty  busy 
work  for  us.  Nearly  all  the  animals  got  very  much  en- 
tangled, and  the  more  they  tried  to  get  through  the  nets 
the  more  they  became  bewildered. 

Before  breaking  up,  all  the  game  caught  was  laid 
together,  that  all  might  see  it.  And  now  I  had  an  op- 
portunity to  notice  the  curious  little  sharp-eared  dogs, 
about  a  foot  high,  which  had  been  so  useful  in  driving 
the  animals  into  our  toils.  They  stood  looking  at  their 
prizes  with  eager  and  hungry  eyes.  These  dogs  often 
go  and  hunt  for  themselves ;  and  it  is  no  unusual  thing 
for  half  a  dozen  dogs  to  drive  an  antelope  to  the  neigh- 
borhood of  their  village,  when  their  barking  arouses  the 
hunters,  who  come  out  and  kill  their  quarry. 

It  was  almost  dark  when  we  returned  to  the  village 
of  Alapay.  One  antelope  was  put  aside  for  me,  being  a 
peculiar  species  which  I  wanted  to  stuff,  and  the  rest  of 
the  meat  was  immediately  divided.  The  villagers  were 
delighted  at  our  luck.  We  were  all  very  hungry,  and 
cooking  began  at  once.  I  could  hardly  wait  for  the 
dinner,  which  was  one  worthy  of  an  emperor's  pakte. 
It  consisted  of  plantain,  cooked  in  various  ways,,  and 
venison  of  the  tenderest  sort,  stewed  in  lemon-juice,  and 
afterward  roasted  on  charcoal. 

I  was  glad  to  go  to  bed  early,  for  I  felt  very  tired.  I 
had  traveled  during  the  day  very  nearly  thirty  miles. 

But  I  had  scarcely  got  sound  asleep  when  I  was  fairly 
turned  out  of  the  house  by  a  furious  attacK  of  the  Bashi- 
kouay  ants.  They  were  already  upon  me  when  I  jump- 
ed up,  and  I  was  bitten  by  them  terribly.  I  ran  out  into 
the  street,  and  called  for  help  and  torches.  The  natives 
came  out,  the  lights  were  struck,  and  presently  I  was  re- 


100  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

lieved.  But  now  we  found  that  the  whole  village  \v;is 
attacked.  A  great  army  of  auts  was  pouring  in  on  us, 
attracted  doubtless  by  the  meat  in  the  houses,  which 
they  had  smelt  afar  off.  My  unfortunate  antelope  had 
probably  brought  them  to  my  door.  All  hands  had  to 
turn  out  to  defend  themselves.  We  built  little  cordons 
of  fires,  which  kept  them  away  from  places  they  had  not 
entered,  and  in  this  way  protected  our  persons  from  their 
attacks.  We  scattered  hot  ashes  and  boiling  water  right 
and  left ;  and  toward  morning,  having  eaten  every  thing 
they  could  get  at,  they  left  us  in  peace.  As  was  to  be 
expected,  my  antelope  was  literally  eaten  up — not  a 
morsel  was  left. 

The  vast  number,  the  sudden  appearance,  and  the 
ferocity  of  these  frightful  creatures  never  ceased  to 
astonish  me.  On  this  occasion  they  had  come  actually 
in  millions.  The  antelope  on  which  they  fed  was  a  vast 
mass  of  living  ants,  which  we  could  not  approach;  and 
it  was  only  when  many  fires  were  lighted  that  they  were 
forced  from  their  onward  and  victorious  course,  which 
they  generally  pursue.  Then,  however,  they  retreated 
in  parties  with  the  greatest  regularity,  vast  numbers  re- 
maining to  complete  the  work  of  destruction.  Little 
would  I  give  for  the  life  of  a  man  who  should  be  tied 
up  to  a  tree  when  these  ants  pass  that  way  and  attack 
him ;  in  two  or  three  hours  nothing  would  be  left  of  hinj 
but  the  bare  bones. 


VANGBOVE  SWAMP.    TUMBLING  AND  FALLING. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

RETURNING  TO  THE    COAST. CAVERNS  AND  WATERFALLS   IN 

THE   HIGHLANDS. CROSS   A  RIVER   ON   MANGROVE   ROOTS. 

• — STIRRING  UP  A  BIG    SNAKE. A  MUTUAL  SCARE. 

I  LEFT  the  good  villagers  of  Y"oongoolapay,  and  pur- 
sued my  way  to  the  sea-shore.  On  the  route  we  came  to 
a  high  ridge,  or  plateau.  This  was  the  highest  land  I 
had  seen  between  the  Moonda  and  the  Muni,  and  it  is 
probable  that,  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  treesj  I  should 
have  seen  the  ocean  very  well.  Along  this  ridge  were 
strewn  some  of  the  most  extraordinary  boulders  I  ever 
saw.  These  immense  blocks  of  granite  covered  the 
ground  in  every  direction.  Several  of  them  were  be- 
tween twenty  and  thirty  feet  high,  and  about  fifty  feet 
long. 

Kear  the  largest  of  these  granite  masses  a  huge  rock 


102  STORTES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

rose  some  forty  or  fifty  feet  out  of  the  ground.  I  saw 
an  opening  in  the  solid  rock  leading  to  a  fine  largo  cav- 
ern. It  had,  no  doubt,  been  made  by  the  hands  of  man  ; 
it  was  -not  of  natural  formation,  for  the  entrance  had 
evidently  been  cut  out  of  the  solid  rock  by  human  be- 
ings; and  now  it  was  much  used  by  the  natives  as  a 
house  to  stop  in  overnight  when  they  were  traveling  to 
and  fro.  Its  vast  opening  admits  such  a  flood  of  sun- 
light and  air  that  it  is  not  likely  to  be  used  as  a  lair  for 
wild  beasts.  We  saw  the  remains  of  several  fires  inside, 
but  I  am  bound  to  say  we  also  saw  the  tracks  of  leopards 
and  other  dangerous  beasts  on  the  outside,  for  which  rea- 
son I  did  not  care  to  sleep  there. 

While  exploring  the  cavern  I  thought  several  times  I 
heard  a  trickling,  which  was  almost  like  the  noise  of  rain, 
and  which  I  had  not  noticed  before,  probably  on  account 
of  the  great  shouting  of  my  men.  But  when  we  got  out 
I  was  surprised  to  find  not  a  cloud  in  the  sky.  Turning 
for  an  explanation  to  Alapay,  he  led  me  along  a  p;:th, 
and  as  we  went  forward  the  trickling  noise  gradually 
grew  into  the  sound  of  rushing  waters.  Presently  we 
came  to  the  edge  of  a  steep  declivity,  and  here  I  saw  be- 
fore and  around  me  a  most  charming  landscape,  the 
centre  of  which  was  a  most  beautiful  waterfall.  A  little 
stream,  which  meandered  along  the  slope  of  the  plateau,, 
and  which  had  hitherto  escaped  our  view,  had  here  worn 
its  way  through  a  vast  granite  block  which  barred  its 
course.  Rushing  through  the  narrow  and  almost  circu- 
lar hole  in  this  block,  it  fell  in  one  silvery  leap  perpen- 
dicularly forty  or  fifty  feet.  The  lower  level  of  the 
stream  ran  along  between  high,  steep  banks  covered  with 
trees,  the  right  bank  being  quite  abrupt.  It  was  a  min- 


INTERIOR  OF  A  CA  VEEN.  103 

iature  Niagara.  Clear,  sparkling,  and  pure  as  it  could 
be,  the  water  rushed  down  to  its  pebbly  bed — a  sight  so 
charming  that  I  sat  down  for  some  time  and  feasted  my 
eyes  upon  it. 

I  then  determined  to  have  a  view  from  below.  After 
some  difficult  climbing  we  got  to  the  bottom,  and  there 
beheld,  under  the  fall,  a  large  hole  in  the  perpendicular 
face  of  the  rock,  which  evidently  formed  the  mouth  of  a 
cavern.  The  opening  of  the  cavern  was  partly  hidden 
by  the  waterfall,  and  was  cut  through  solid  rock.  Be- 
tween the  opening  and  the  waterfall  there  were  a  few 
feet  of  clear  space,  so  that  by  going  sidewrays  one  could 
make  good  his  entrance  into  the  cavern  without  receiv- 
ing a  shower-bath. 

I  determined  to  enter  this  cavern;  but, before  ventur- 
ing, I  went  first  and  tried  to  get  a  peep  at  the  inside.  It 
was  so  dark  that  I  could  see  nothing,  so  it  was  not  very 
inviting.  "We  lit  torches ;  I  took  my  revolver  and  gun, 
and  accompanied  by  twro  men,  who  also  were  armed  with 
guns,  we  entered.  How  dark  it  was!  Once  inside,  we 
excited  the  astonishment  of  a  vast  number  of  huge  vam- 
pire bats.  There  wrere  thousands  and  thousands  of  them. 
They  came  and  fluttered  around  our  lights,  threatening 
each  moment  to  leave  us  in  darkness,  and  the  motion  of 
their  wings  filled  the  cavern  with  a  dull  thunderous  or 
booming  roar.  It  really  looked  an  awful  place,  and  the 
dim  light  of  our  torches  gave  to  every  shadow  a  fantas- 
tic form. 

The  cavern  was  rather  rough  inside.  When  we  had 
ad vanced  about  one  hundred  yards  we  came  to  a  stream, 
or  puddle  of  water,  extending  entirely  across  the  floor, 
and  barring  our  way.  My  men,  who  had  gone  thus  far 


104          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

under  protest,  now  desired  to  return,  and  urged  me  not 
to  go  into  the  water.  It  might  be  very  deep;  it  might 
be  full  of  horrible  water  snakes;  all  sorts  of  wild  beasts 
might  be  beyond,  and  land  snakes  also.  At  the  w<>nl 
snake  I  hesitated,  for  I  confess  to  a  great  dread  of  ser 
pents  in  the  dark  or  in  a  confined  place,  where  a  snake 
is  likely  to  get  the  advantage  of  a  man.  A  cold  shud- 
der ran  through  me  at  the  thought  that,  once  in  the  wa- 
ter, many  snakes  might  come  and  swim  round  me,  and 
perhaps  twist  themselves  round  me  as  they  do  around 
the  branches  of  trees ;  so  I  paused  and  reflected. 

While  peering  into  the  darkness  beyond  I  thought  1 
saw  two  eyes,  like  bright  sparks  or  coals  of  fire,  gleaming 
savagely  at  us.  Could  it  be  a  leopard,  or  what  ?  With- 
out thinking  of  the  consequences,  I  leveled  my  gun  at 
the  shining  objects,  and  fired.  The  report  for  a  moment 
deafened  us.  Then  came  a  redoubled  rush  of  the  great 
hideous  bats.  It  seemed  to  me  that  millions  of  these  ani- 
mals suddenly  launched  out  upon  us  from  all  parts  of  the 
surrounding  gloom.  Some  of  these  got  caught  in  un- 
clothes. Our  torches  were  extinguished  in  an  instant, 
and,  panic-stricken,  we  all  made  for  the  cavern's  mouth. 
I  had  visions  of  enraged  snakes  springing  after  and  t  ry- 
ing  to  catch  me.  We  were  all  glad  to  reach  daylight 
once  more,  and  nothing  could  have  induced  us  to  try  the 
darkness  again.  I  confess  that,  though  I  think  it  takes 
a  good  deal  to  frighten  me,  I  did  not  at  all  relish  remain- 
ing there  in  entire  darkness. 

The  scene  outside  was  as  charming  as  that  within  was 
hideous.  1  stood  a  long  time  looking  at  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  landscapes  I  ever  beheld  in  Africa.  It  was 
certainly  not  grand,  but  extremely  pretty.  Before  me, 


REGRET  NOT  EXPLORING  A  CA  VERN.  105 

the  little  stream,  whose  fall  over  the  cliff  filled  the  forest 
with  a  gentle  murmur,  resembling  very  much,  as  I  have 
said,  when  far  enough  off,  the  pattering  of  a  shower  of 
rain,  ran  along  between  steep  banks,  the  trees  of  whicn 
seemed  to  meet  above  it.  Away  down  the  valley  we 
could  see  its  course,  traced  like  a  silver  line  over  the 
plain,  till  it  was  lost  to  our  sight  in  a  denser  part  of  the 
forest. 

I  have  often  thought  of  these  caverns  since  I  saw 
them,  and  I  have  regretted  that  I  did  not  pay  more  at- 
tention to  them.  If  I  had  made  my  camp  in  the  vicini- 
ty, and  explored  them,  and  dug  in  them  for  days,  I  think 
that  I  should  have  been  amply  rewarded  for  the  trouble. 
At  that  time  I  did  not  feel  greatly  interested  in  the  sub- 
ject. I  had  not  read  the  works  of  M.  Boucher  de  Perthes 
and  others,  or  heard  that  the  bones  of  animals  now  ex- 
tinct had  been  discovered  in  caverns  in  several  parts  of 
Europe,  and  that  implements  made  of  flint,  such  as  axes, 
sharp-pointed  arrows,  etc.,  etc.,  had  been  found  in  such 
places.  If  I  had  excavated  I  might  perhaps  have  found 
the  remains  of  charcoal  fires,  or  other  things,  to  prove 
that  these  caverns  had  been  made  by  men  who  lived  in 
Africa  long  before  the  negro.  I  feel  certain  these  cav- 
erns must  have  been  human  habitations.  I  do  not  see 
how  they  could  have  been  made  except  by  the  hand  of 
man. 

On  my  last  journey  I  thought  once  or  twice  of  going 
to  them  from  the  Fernand-Vaz,  to  explore  and  dig  in 
them.  I  thought  I  might  be  rewarded  for  my  labor  by 
discovering  the  bones  of  unknown  beasts,  or  of  some  re- 
mains of  primitive  men. 

These  caverns  are  fortunately  not  far  away  from  the 


106  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

sea — I  should  think  not  more  than  ten  or  fifteen  miles — - 
and  are  situated  between  the  Muni  and  the  Moonda  lin- 
ers. Any  one  desiring  to  explore  them  would  easily  find 
the  way  to  them.  The  cavern  under  the  waterfall  would 
be  extremely  interesting  to  explore. 

The  valley  itself  was  a  pleasant  wooded  plain,  which. 
it  seemed,  the  hand  of  man  had  not  yet  disturbed,  and 
whence  the  song  of  birds,  the  chatter  of  monkeys,  and 
the  hum  of  insects  came  up  to  us,  now  and  then,  in  a 
confusion  of  sounds  very  pleasant  to  the  ear. 

But  I  could  not  loiter  long  over  this  scene,  being  anx- 
ious to  reach  the  sea-shore.  After  we  set  off  again  we 
found  ourselves  continually  crossing  or  following  ele- 
phant tracks,  so  we  walked  very  cautiously,  expecting 
every  moment  to  find  ourselves  face  to  face  with  a  herd. 

By-and-by  the  country  became  quite  flat,  the  elephant 
tracks  ceased,  and  presently,  as  we  neared  a  stream,  we 
came  to  a  mangrove  swamp.  It  was  almost  like  seeing 
an  old  friend,  or,  I  may  say,  an  old  enemy,  for  the  re- 
membrances of  musquitoes,  tedious  navigation,  and  ma- 
laria, which  the  mangrove-tree  brought  to  my  mind,  were 
by  no  means  pleasant.  It  is  not  very  pleasant  to  be  laid 
up  with  African  fever,  I  assure  yon. 

From  a  mangrove-tree  to  a  mangrove  swamp  and  for- 
est is  but  a  step.  They  never  stand  alone.  Presently  we 
stood  once  more  on  the  banks  of  the  little  stream,  whose 
clear,  pellucid  water  had  so  charmed  me  a  little  farther 
up  the  country.  Now  it  was  only  a  swamp — a  mangrove 
swamp.  Its  bed,  no  longer  narrow,  was  spread  over  a  flat 
of  a  mile,  and  the  now  muddy  water  meandered  slowly 
through  an  immense  growth  of  mangroves,  whose  routs 
extended  entirely  across,  and  met  hi  the  middle,  where 


CROSS  A  MANGROVE  SWAMP.  107 

they  rose  out  of  the  mire  and  water  like  the  folds  of 
some  vast  serpent. 

It  was  high  tide.  There  was  not  a  canoe  to  be  had. 
To  sleep  on  this  side,  among  the  mangroves,  was  to  be 
eaten  up  by  the  musquitoes,  which  bite  much  harder 
than  those  of  America,  for  they  can  pierce  through  your 
trowsers  and  drawers.  This  was  not  a  very  pleasant  an- 
ticipation, but  there  seemed  to  be  no  alternative,  and  I 
had  already  made  up  my  mind  that  I  should  not  be  able 
to  go  to  sleep.  But  my  men  were  not  troubled  at  all 
with  unpleasant  anticipations.  We  were  to  cross  over, 
quite  easily  too,  they  said,  on  the  roots  which  projected 
above  the  water,  and  which  lay  from  two  to  three  feet 
apart,  at  irregular  distances. 

It  seemed  a  desperate  venture,  but  they  set  out  jump- 
ing like  monkeys  from  place  to  place,  and  I  followed, 
expecting  every  moment  to  fall  in  between  the  roots  in 
the  mud,  there  to  be  attacked  perhaps  by  some  noxious 
reptile  whose  rest  my  fall  would  disturb.  I  had  to  take 
off  my  shoes,  whose  thick  soles  made  me  more  likely  to 
slip.  I  gave  all  my  baggage,  and  guns,  and  pistols  to  the 
men,  and  then  commenced  a  journey,  the  like  of  which  I 
hope  never  to  take  again.  We  were  an  hour  in  getting 
across — an  hour  of  continual  jumps  and  hops,  and  hold- 
ing on.  In  the  midst  of  it  all,  a  man  behind  me  flopped 
into  the  mud,  calling  out  "  Omemba !"  in  a  frightful 
voice. 

Now  omemba  means  snake.  The  poor  fellow  had  put 
his  hands  on  an  enormous  black  snake,  and,  feeling  its 
cold,  slimy  scales,  he  let  go  his  hold  and  fell.  All  hands 
immediately  began  to  run  faster  than  before,  both  on  the 
right  and  the  left.  There  was  a  general  panic;  and  every 


108          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

one  began  to  shout  and  make  all  kinds  of  noises  to  fright 
en  the  serpent.  The  poor  animal  also  got  badly  .scared, 
and  began  to  crawl  away  among  the  branches  as  fast  as 
he  could.  Unfortunately,  his  fright  led  him  directly  t<  •- 
ward  me,  and  a  general  panic  ensued.  Every  body  run 
as  fast  as  he  could  to  get  out  of  danger.  Another  man 
fell  into  the  mud  below,  and  added  his  cries  to  the  gen- 
eral tumult.  Two  or  three  times  I  was  on  the  point  of 
getting  a  mud  bath  myself,  but  I  luckily  escaped.  My 
feet  were  badly  cut  and  bruised,  but  at  last  we  were  safe 
across,  and  I  breathed  freely  once  more,  as  soon  after  ] 
saw  the  deep  blue  sea. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

CAPE  LOPEZ  AND  AN  OPEN  PRAIKIE  ONCE  MOKE. — KING 

GO  AND  HIS  TIIKEE  HUNDRED  WIVES. — HIS  FIVE  IDOLS. — 
THE  SLAVE  BAKRACOONS.  —  THE  CORPSE  AND  THE  VUI<- 
TUKE8. 

CAPE  LOPEZ  is  a  long  sandy  arm  of  land  reacliing  out 
into  the  sea.  As  yon  approach  it  from  the  ocean  it  has 
the  appearance  of  overflowed  land.  It  is  so  low  that  the 
bushes  and  the  trees  growing  on  it  seem,  from  a  distance 
sea  ward,  to  he  set  in  the  water. 

The  bay  formed  by  Cape  Lopez  is  about  fourteen  miles 
long.  Among  several  small  streams  which  empty  their 
wrater  into  it  is  the  Nazareth  River,  one  of  whose  branches 
is  .the  Fetich  River.  The  bay  has  numerous  shallows  and 
small  islands,  and  abounds  in  all  sorts  of  delicious  fish. 
On  the  cape  itself  many  large  turtles  from  the  ocean 
come  to  lay  their  eggs.  I  will  tell  you  by-and-by  what  a 
nice  time  I  had  fishing  at  Cape  Lopez,  but  I  have  many 
other  things  to  talk  about  before  I  come  to  that. 

I  arrived  at  Cape  Lopez  one  evening  when  it  was  al- 
most dark.  The  next  morning  I  prepared  myself  for  a 
visit  to  King  Bango,  the  king  of  the  country.  The  royal 
palace  is  set  upon  a  tolerably  high  hill,  and  fronts  the 
sea-shore.  Between  the  foot  of  this  hill  and  the  sea  there 
is  a  beautiful  prairie,  over  which  are  scattered  the  nu- 
merous little  villages  called  Sangatanga.  I  never  tired 


112  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA   COUNTRY. 

of  looking  at  this  prairie.  I  had  lived  so  long  in  the 
gloomy  forest  that  it  gave  me  great  delight  to  see  once 
more  the  green  and  sunlit  verdure  of  an  open  meadow. 
I  found  the  royal  palace  surrounded  by  a  little  village  of 
huts.  As  I  entered  the  village  I  was  met  by  the  ma- 
fouga,  or  officer  of  the  king,  who  conducted  me  to  the 
palace.  It  was  an  ugly-looking  house  of  two  stories, 
resting  on  pillars.  The  lower  story  consisted  of  a  dark 
hall,  flanked  on  each  side  by  rows  of  small  dark  rooms, 
which  looked  like  little  cells.  At  the  end  of  the  hall  was 
a  staircase,  steep  and  dirty,  up  which  the  mafouga  piloted 
me.  When  I  had  ascended  the  stairs  I  found  myself  in 
a  large  room,  at  the  end  of  which  was  seated  the  great 
King  Bango,  who  claims  to  be  the  greatest  chief  of  this 
part  of  Africa.  He  was  surrounded  by  about  one  hund- 
red of  his  wives. 

King  Bango  was  fat,  and  seemed  not  over  clean.  He 
wore  a  shirt  and  an  old  pair  of  pantaloons.  On  his  head 
was  a  crown,  which  had  been  presented  to  him  by  some 
of  his  friends,  the  Portuguese  slavers.  Over  his  shoulders 
he  wore 'a  flaming  yellow  coat,  with  gilt  embroidery,  the 
cast-off  garment  of  some  rich  man's  lackey  in  Portugal 
or  Brazil.  When  I  speak  of  a  crown  you  must  not  think 
it  was  a  wonderful  thing,  made  of  gold  and  mounted 
with  diamonds.  It  was  shaped  like  those  commonly 
worn  by  actors  on  the  stage,  and  was  probably  worth, 
when  new,  about  ten  dollars.  His  majesty  had  put  round 
it  a  circlet  of  pure  gold,  made  with  the  doubloons  he  got 
in  exchange  for  slaves.  He  sat  on  a  sofa,  for  he  was 
paralyzed ;  and  in  his  hand  he  held  a  cane,  which  also 
answered  the  purpose  of  a  sceptre. 

This  King  Bango,  whom  I  have  described  so  minutely, 


KING  BANGO.—A  BALL.  113 

was  the  greatest  slave  king  of  that  part  of  the  coast.  At 
that  time  there  were  large  slave  depots  on  his  territory. 
He  is  a  perfect  despot,  and  is  much  feared  by  his  people 
He  is  also  very  superstitious. 

Though  very  proud,  he  received  me  kindly,  for  I  had 
come  recommended  by  his  great  friend,  Rompochombo, 
a  king  of  the  Mpongwe  tribe.  He  asked  me  how  I  liked 
his  wives.  I  said,  Very  well.  He  then  said  there  were 
a  hundred  present,  and  that  there  were  twice  as  many 
more,  three  hundred  in  all.  Fancy  three  hundred  wives ! 
He  also  claimed  to  have  more  than  six  hundred  children. 
I  wonder  if  all  these  brothers  and  sisters  could  know  and 
recognize  each  other ! 

The  next  night  a  great  ball  was  given  in  my  honor  by 
the  king.  The  room  where  I  had  been  received  was  the 
ballroom.  I  arrived  there  shortly  after  dark,  and  I 
found  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  king's  wives, 
and  I  was  told  that  the  best  dancers  of  the  country  were 
there. 

I  wish  you  could  have  seen  the  room.  It  was  ugly 
enough :  there  were  several  torches  to  light  it ;  but,  not- 
withstanding these,  the  room  was  by  no  means  brilliant- 
ly illuminated.  The  king  wanted  only  his  wives  to  dance 
before  me.  During  the  whole  of  the  evening  not  a  sin- 
gle man  took  part  in  the  performance ;  but  two  of  his 
daughters  were  ordered  to  dance,  and  he  wanted  me  to 
marry  one  of  them. 

Not  far  from  the  royal  palace  were  three  curious  and 
very  small  houses,  wherein  were  deposited  five  idols, 
which  were  reputed  to  have  far  greater  power  and  knowl- 
edge than  the  idols  or  gods  of  the  surrounding  countries. 

They  were  thought  to  be  the  great  protectors  of  the 

8 


114:          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

Oroungou  tribe,  and  particularly  of  Sangatanga  and  of 
the  king.  So  I  got  a  peep  inside  the  first  house.  There 
I  saw  the  idol  called  Pangeo :  he  was  made  of  wood,  and 
looked  very  ugly ;  by  his  side  \vas  his  wife  Aleka,  an- 
other wooden  idol.  Pangeo  takes  care  of  the  king  and 
of  his  people,  and  watches  over  them  at  night. 

I  peeped  also  into  the  second  little  house.  There  I 
saw  a  large  idol  called  Makambi,  shaped  like  a  man,  and 
by  his  side  stood  a  female  figure,  Abiala  his  wife.  Poor 
Makambi  is  a  powerless  god,  his  wife  having  usurped  the 
power.  She  holds  a  pistol  in  her  hand,  with  which,  it  is 
supposed,  she  can  kill  any  one  she  pleases ;  hence  the 
natives  are  much  afraid  of  her ;  and  she  receives  from 
them  a  constant  supply  of  food,  and  many  presents  (I 
wonder  who  takes  the  presents  away  ?).  When  they  fall 
sick  they  dance  around  her,  and  implore  her  to  make 
them  well.  For  these  poor  heathen  never  pray  to  the 
true  God.  They  put  their  trust  in  wooden  images,  the 
work  of  their  own  hands. 

I  looked  into  the  third  house,  and  there  I  saw  an  idol 
called  Numba.  He  had  no  wife  with  him,  being  a  bach- 
elor deity.  He  is  the  Oroungou  Neptune  and  Mercury 
in  one — Neptune  in  ruling  the  waves,  and  Mercury  in 
keeping  off  the  evils  which  threaten  from  beyond  the 
sea. 

As  I  came  away  after  seeing  the  king,  I  shot  at  a  bird 
sitting  upon  a  tree,  but  missed  it,  for  I  had  been  taking 
quinine  and  was  nervous.  But  the  negroes  standing 
around  at  once  proclaimed  that  this  was  a  "  fetich  bird" 
— a  sacred  bird — and  therefore  I  could  not  shoot  it,  even 
if  I  fired  at  it  a  hundred  times. 

I  fired  again,  but  with  no  better  success.     Hereupon 


SLA  VE  BARRA  COONS.  115 

they  grew  triumphant  in  their  declarations ;  while  I,  loth 
to  let  the  devil  have  so  good  a  witness,  loaded  again,  took 
careful  aim,  and,  to  my  own  satisfaction  and  their  utter 
dismay,  brought  my  bird  down. 

During  my  stay  in  the  village,  as  I  was  one  day  out 
shooting  birds  in  a  grove  not  fai  from  my  house,  I  saw  a 
procession  of  slaves  coming  from  one  of  the  barracoons 
toward  the  farther  end  of  my  grove.  As  they  came 
nearer,  I  saw  that  two  gangs  of  six  slaves  each,  all  chain- 
ed about  the  neck,  were  carrying  a  burden  between  them, 
which  I  knew  presently  to  be  the  corpse  of  another  slave. 
They  bore  it  to  the  edge  of  the  grove,  about  three  hutid- 
red  yards  from  my  house,  and,  throwing  it  down  there 
on  the  bare  ground,  they  returned  to  their  prison,  accom- 
panied by  the  overseer,  who,  with  his  whip,  had  marched 
behind  them. 

"  Here,  then,  is  the  burying-grotmd  of  the  barracoons," 
I  said  to  myself,  sadly,  tl linking,  I  confess,  of  the  poor 
fellow  who  had  been  dragged  away  from  his  home  and 
friends — who,  perhaps,  had  been  sold  by  his  own  father 
or  relatives  to  die  here  and  be  thrown  out  as  food  for  the 
vultures.  Even  as  I  stood  wrapped  in  thought,  these 
carrion  birds  were  assembling,  and  began  to  darken  the 
air  above  my  head ;  ere  long  they  were  heard  fighting 
over  the  corpse. 

The  grove,  which  was,  in  fact,  but  an  African  Acel- 
dama, was  beautiful  to  view  from  my  house,  and  I  had 
often  resolved  to  explore  it,  or  to  rest  in  the  shade  of  its 
dark-leaved  trees.  It  seemed  a  ghastly  place  enough 
now,  as  I  approached  it  more  closely  The  vultures  fled 
when  they  saw  me,  but  flew  only  a  little  way,  and  then 
perched  upon  the  lower  branches  of  the  surrounding 


U6       STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

trees,  and  watched  me  with  eyes  askance,  as  though  fear- 
ful  I  should  rob  them  of  their  prey.  As  I  walked  to- 
ward the  corpse,  I  felt  something  crack  under  my  feet. 
Looking  down,  I  saw  that  I  was  already  in  the  midst  of 
a  field  of  skulls  and  bones.  I  had  inadvertently  stepped 
upon  the  skeleton  of  some  poor  creature  who  had  been 
lying  here  long  enough  for  the  birds  and  ants  to  pick  his 
bones  clean,  and  for  the  rains  to  bleach  them.  I  think 
there  must  have  been  the  relics  of  a  thousand  skeletons 
within  sight.  The  place  had  been  used  for  many  years ; 
and  the  mortality  in  the  barracoons  is  sometimes  fright- 
ful, in  spite  of  the  care  they  seem  to  take  of  their  slaves. 
Here  their  bodies  were  thrown,  and  here  the  vultures 
found  their  daily  carrion.  The  grass  had  j ust  been  burnt, 
and  the  white  bones  scattered  every  where  gave  the 
ground  a  singular,  and,  when  the  cause  was  known,  a 
frightful  appearance.  Penetrating  farther  into  the  bush, 
I  found  several  great  piles  of  bones.  This  was  the  place, 
years  ago — when  Cape  Lopez  was  one  of  the  great  slave- 
markets  on  the  West  Coast,  and  barracoons  were  more 
numerous  than  they  are  now — where  the  poor  dead  weiv. 
thrown,  one  upon  another,  till  even  the  mouldering  bones 
remained  in  high  piles,  as  monuments  of  the  nefarious 
traffic.  Such  was  the  burial-ground  of  the  poor  slave? 
from  the  interior  of  Africa. 


EMJ1.YRKING    SLAVES. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  SLAVE  BARRACOONS. — A  BIG   SNAKE   UNDER   MY  BED.— 
A    SLAVE-SHIP   OFF   THE   COAST. 

ONE  day  I  passed  by  an  immense  inclosure  protected 
by  a  fence  of  palisades  about  twelve  feet  high,,  and  sharp- 
pointed  at  the  top.  Passing  through  the  gate,  which  was 
standing  open,  I  found  myself  in  the  midst  of  a  large 
collection  of  shanties,  surrounded  by  shade-trees,  under 
which  were  lying,  in  various  positions,  a  great  many  ne- 
groes. As  I  walked  round,  I  saw  that  the  men  were 
fastened,  six  together,  by  a  little  stout  chain,  which  passed 
through  a  collar  secured  about  the  neck  of  each.  Here 
and  there  were  buckets  of  water  for  the  men  to  drink ; 
and,  they  being  chained  together,  when  one  of  the  six 
wanted  to  drink,  the  others  had  to  go  with  hLn. 

Then  I  came  to  a  yard  full  of  women  and  children. 
These  could  roam  at  pleasure  through  their  yard.  No 


118  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

men  were  admitted  there.  These  people  could  not  all 
understand  each  other's  language;  and  you  may  proba- 
bly wish  to  know  who  they  were.  They  were  Africans 
belonging  to  various  tribes,  who  had  been  sold,  some  by 
their  parents  or  by  their  families,  others  by  the  people  of 
their  villages.  Some  had  been  sold  on  account  of  witch- 
craft ;  but  there  were  many  other  excuses  for  the  traffic. 
They  would  find  suddenly  that  a  boy  or  girl  was  "  dull," 
and  so  forth,  and  must  be  sold.  Many  of  them  came 
from  countries  far  distant. 

Some  were  quite  merry;  others  appeared  to  be  very 
sad,  thinking  they  were  bought  to  be  eaten  up.  They 
believed  that  the  white  men  beyond  the  seas  were  great 
cannibals,  and  that  they  were  to  be  fattened  first,  and 
then  eaten.  In  the  interior,  one  day,  a  chief  ordered  a 
slave  to  be  killed  for  my  dinner,  and  I  barely  succeeded 
in  preventing  the  poor  wretch  from  being  put  to  death. 
I  could  hardly  make  the  chief  believe  that  I  did  not,  in 
my  own  country,  live  on  human  flesh. 

Under  some  of  the  trees  were  huge  caldrons,  in  which 
beans  and  rice  were  cooking  for  the  slaves ;  and  others 
had  dried  fish  to  eat.  In  the  evening  they  were  put  into 
large  sheds  for  the  night.  One  of  the  sheds  was  used  as 
a  hospital. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  stood  the  white  man's  house — 
yes,  the  white  man's  house ! — and  in  it  were  white  men 
whose  only  business  was  to  buy  these  poor  creatures  from 
the  Oroungou  people ! 

After  I  had  seen  every  thing  I  left  the  barracoon,  for 
that  is  the  name  given  to  such  a  place  as  I  have  just  de- 
scribed. I  wandered  about,  and  it  was  dark  before  I  re- 
turned to  the  little  bamboo  house  which  the  king  had 


A.  SNAKE  UNDER  MY  BED.  H9 

given  me.  I  got  in,  and  then,  striking  a  match  carefully, 
I  lighted  a  torch,  so  that  I  might  not  go  to  bed  in  dark- 
ness. Yon  may  smile  when  I  say  bed,  for  my  couch 
was  far  from  bearing  any  resemblance  to  our  beds  at 
home,  with  mattress,  and  pillows,  and  sheets,  and  blank- 
ets. Travelers  in  Equatorial  Africa  are  utter  strangers 
to  such  luxuries. 

After  I  had  lighted  the  torch,  I  cast  my  eyes  round  to 
see  if  any  thing  had  been  disturbed ;  for  a  thief,  so  dis- 
posed, could  easily  break  into  these  houses.  I  noticed 
something  glittering  and  shining  under  my  akoko,  or 
bedstead.  The  object  was  so  still  that  I  did  not  pay  any 
attention  to  it ;  in  fact,  I  could  not  see  it  well  by  the  dim 
light  of  the  torch.  But  when  I  approached  the  bed  to 
arrange  it,  I  saw  that  the  glitter  was  produced  by  the 
shining  scales  of  an  enormous  serpent,  which  lay  quietly 
coiled  up  there  within  two  feet  of  me.  What  was  I  to 
do  ?  I  had  fastened  my  door  with  ropes.  If  the  snake 
were  to  uncoil  itself  and  move  about,  it  might,  perhaps, 
take  a  spring  and  wind  itself  about  me,  quietly  squeeze 
me  to  death,  and  then  swallow  me  as  he  would  a  gazelle. 
These  were  not  comforting  thoughts.  I  was  afraid  to 
cry  out  for  fear  of  disturbing  the  snake,  which  appeared 
to  be  asleep.  Besides,  no  one  could  get  in,  as  I  had  bar 
ricaded  the  only  entrance,  so  I  went  quietly  and  unfast- 
ened the  door.  When  every  thing  was  ready  for  a  safe 
retreat,  I  said  to  myself,  "  I  had  better  try  to  kill  it." 
Then,  looking  for  my  guns,  I  saw,  to  my  utter  horror, 
that  they  were  set  against  the  wall  at  the  back  of  the 
bed,  so  that  the  snake  was  between  me  and  them.  Aft- 
er watching  the  snake  intently,  and  thinking  what  to  do, 
I  resolved  to  get  my  gun ;  so,  keeping  the  door  in  in)1 


120  STORI£S  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

rear  open,  in  readiness  for  a  speedy  retreat  at  the  first 
sign  of  life  in  the  snake,  I  approached  on  tiptoe,  and,  ii: 
the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  grasped  the  gun  which  was  load- 
ed heavily  with  large  shot.  How  relieved  I  felt  at  that 
moment !  I  was  no  longer  the  same  man.  Fortunately, 
the  snake  did  not  move.  With  my  gnu  in  one  hand,  I 
went  again  towrard  the  reptile,  and  fairly  placing  the 
muzzle  of  the  gun  against  it,  I  fired,  and  then  ran  out  of 
the  house  as  fast  as  I  could. 

At  the  noise  of  the  gun  there  was  a  rush  of  negroes 
from  all  sides  to  know  what  was  the  matter.  They 
thought  some  one  had  shot  a  man,  and  run  into  my 
house  to  hide  himself ;  so  they  all  rushed  into  it,  helter- 
skelter;  but  I  need  not  tell  you  they  rushed  out  just 
as  fast  on  finding  a  great  snake  writhing  about  on  the 
floor.  Some  had  trodden  upon  it,  and  been  frightened 
out  of  their  wits.  You  have  no  idea  how  they  roared 
and  shouted  ;  but  no  one  appeared  disposed  to  enter  the 
house  again,  so  I  went  in  cautiously  myself  to  see  how 
matters  stood,  for  I  did  not  intend  to  give  undisputed 
possession  of  my  hut  so  easily  to  Mr.  Snake.  I  entered, 
and  looked  cautiously  around.  The  dim  light  of  the 
torch  helped  me  a  little,  and  there  I  saw  the  snake  on 
the  ground.  Its  body  had  been  cut  in  two  by  the  dis- 
charge, and  both  ends  were  flapping  about  the  floor.  At 
first  I  thought  these  ends  were  two  snakes,  and  I  did  not 
know  what  to  make  of  it ;  but,  as  soon  as  I  perceived  my 
mistake,  I  gave  a  heavy  blow  with  a  stick  on  the  head 
of  the  horrible  creature,  and  finished  it.  Then  I  saw  it 
disgorge  a  duck — a  whole  duck — and  such  a  long  duck  ! 
It  looked  like  an  enormous  long-feathered  sausage.  Aft- 
er  eating  the  duck,  the  snake  thought  my  bedroom  was 


EMBARKING  SLAVES.  12} 

just  the  place  for  him  to  go  to  sleep  in  and  digest  his 
meal ;  for  snakes,  after  a  hearty  meal,  always  fall  into  a 
state  of  torpor.  It  was  a  large  python,  and  it  measured 
—would  you  believe  it  ? — eighteen  feet.  Fancy  my  sit- 
uation if  this  fellow  had  sprung  upon  me,  and  coiled 
round  me !  It  woidd  soon  have  been  all  over  with  me. 
I  wonder  how  long  it  would  have  taken  to  digest  me, 
had  I  been  swallowed  by  the  monster ! 

One  fine  day,  while  walking  on  the  beach  of  this  in- 
hospitable  shore,  I  spied  a  vessel.  It  approached  nearer 
and  nearer,  and  at  last  ran  in  and  hove-to  a  few  miles 
from  the  shore.  Immediately  I  observed  a  gang  of  slaves 
rapidly  driven  down  from  one  of  the  barracoons.  I  stood 
and  watched.  The  men  were  still  in  gangs  of  six,  but 
they  had  been  washed,  and  each  had  a  clean  cloth  on. 
The  canoes  were  immense  boats,  with  twenty-six  paddles, 
and  held  about  sixty  slaves  each.  The  poor  slaves  seem- 
ed much  terrified.  They  had  never  been  on  the  rough 
water  before,  and  they  did  not  know  what  that  dancing 
motion  of  the  sea  was.  Then  they  were  being  taken 
away,  they  knew  not  whither.  As  they  skimmed  over 
the  waves,  and  rolled,  now  one  way,  now  another,  they 
must  have  thought  their  last  day  had  come,  and  that  they 
were  to  be  consigned  to  a  watery  grave. 

I  was  glad  that  these  poor  creatures  could  not  see  me, 
for  I  was  hidden  from  their  view  by  trees  and  bushes.  I 
felt  ashamed  of  myself — I  actually  felt  ashamed  of  being 
a  white  man !  Happily,  such  scenes  are  rarely,  if  ever, 
witnessed  nowadays,  and  the  slave-trade  will  soon  belong 
to  the  past. 

Two  hours  afterward,  the  vessel,  with  a  cargo  of  six 
hundred  slaves,  was  on  her  way  to  Cuba. 


THE  GAZEI.LK. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


GOING    INTO    THE    INTERIOR.  -  SLEEPING    WITH    THE 

EATS.  —  THE   CHIMPANZEE.  —  KILL   A   GAZELLE.  -  TOO   O'l.li 
TO  SLEEP.  -  THE  GRAY  PARTRIDGE. 


AFTER  this  I  went  again  to  visit  King  Bango,  and 
announced  to  his  majesty  by  his  great  mafouga.  I  had 
an  important  object  in  paying  this  visit.  I  wished  to  ask 
the  king  to  permit  me  to  go  into  the  interior,  and  to  spare 
me  some  people  to  show  me  the  way. 

Bango  liked  me,  though  I  had  declined  to  marry  one 
of  his  beautiful  daughters.  So  he  granted  my  request, 
and  gave  me  twenty-five  men,  some  of  whom  were  re- 
puted great  hunters  in  that  country.  They  had  killed 
many  elephants,  and  brought  all  the  ivory  to  their  king. 
They  were  the  providers  of  the  royal  table,  and  passed 
their  lives  in  the  hunt  and  in  the  forest. 


SLEEPING  WITH  THE  KING'S  RATS.  123 

We  made  great  preparations  for  the  chase,  for  game 
was  said  to  be  plentiful.  We  were  to  encamp  many 
days  in  the  forest,  and  to  have  a  jolly  time,  and  a  hard 
time  too,  for  the  hunter's  life  is  not  an  easy  one.  I  was 
invited  by  the  king  to  sleep  in  his  palace,  so  that  the  next 
day  I  might  start  early ;  so  I  was  led  to  my  bedroom  6y 
the  great  mafouga.  It  was  so  dirty  and  gloomy  that  1 
wished  myself  fast  asleep  Under  a  tree  in  the  forest.  I 
looked  around,  thinking  that  perhaps  the  king  wanted  to 
get  rid  of  me,  and  had  invited  me  there  to  have  me  mur- 
dered ;  but,  finding  nothing  suspicious,  I  concluded  that 
old  King  Bango  had  never  entertained  such  ideas,  and  I 
felt  vexed  at  myself  for  having  such  thoughts  on  my 
mind.  Then  I  extinguished  the  light,  and  lay  down  on 
the  royal  couch.  I  had  scarcely  lain  down  when  I  be- 
gan to  hear  a  strange  noise.  At  first  I  did  not  know 
what  it  meant.  The  noise  in  the  room  increased.  What 
could  it  be  ?  I  tried  to  see  through  the  darkness,  but 
could  distinguish  nothing.  Just  then  I  felt  something 
getting  under  my  blanket.  Confounded,  I  jumped  up, 
not  knowing  what  it  might  be.  It  was  an  enormous  rat. 
As  soon  as  I  got  up,  I  heard  a  perfect  scrambling  of  rats 
going  back  where  they  came  from,  and  then  all  became 
silent.  I  lay  down  on  the  bed  again,  and  tried  to  sleep, 
but  in  vain,  on  account  of  the  assaults  and  gambols  of 
the  rats,  of  which  there  was  a  prodigious  number.  They 
seemed  inclined  to  dispute  possession  of  my  room  with 
me.  They  were  continually  on  my  bed  and  running  over 
my  face.  I  soon  got  quite  enough  of  the  royal  palace.  I 
wished  I  had  never  come  into  it.  But  it  was  an  excel- 
lent place  for  getting  up  early.  No  sooner  had  the  morn- 
ing twilight  made  its  appearance  than  I  rose,  and  called 


STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

my  men  together ;  and,  though  we  could  hardly  see,  we 
set  out  at  once  on  the  inarch. 

I  went  in  advance  with  Aboko,  my  head  man,  and 
Niamkala,  the  next  best  man,  at  my  side.  Both  these 
men  were  great  hunters,  and  had  spent  the  principal 
part  of  their  lives  in  the  woods.  They  seemed  really 
like  men  of  the  woods,  so  very  wild  were  their  looks. 
Aboko  was  a  short,  somewhat  stout  man;  very  black, 
and  extremely  muscular ;  very  flat-nosed,  and  with  big 
thick  lips.  His  eyes  were  large  and  cunning,  and  seem- 
ed to  wrander  about;  his  body  bore  marks  of  many 
scratches  from  thorny  trees  and  briers;  his  legs  display- 
ed great  strength.  Niamkala,  on  the  contrary,  was  tall 
and  slender,  not  very  dark ;  he  had  sharp,  piercing  eyes, 
and  seemed  to  be  continually  looking  after  something. 
Both  were  first-rate  elephant  hunters. 

Aboko,  Niamkala,  and  I  became  great  friends,  for  we 
were  all  three  hunters,  and  loved  the  woods. 

Our  way  led  through  some  beautiful  prairies,  each 
surrounded  by  dark  forests,  and  seeming  like  natural 
gardens  planted  in  this  great  woody  wilderness.  The 
country  was  really  lovely.  The  surface  was  mostly  roll- 
ing prairie,  with  a  light  sandy  soil.  The  highest  hills 
often  broke  into  abrupt  precipices,  on  which  we1  would 
come  suddenly;  and  if  any  of  us  had  tumbled  clown  to 
the  bottom,  he  would  never  have  been  heard  of  again. 
The  woods  are  the  safe  retreat  of  the  elephant,  Great 
herds  of  buffaloes  are  found  there ;  also  antelopes,  which 
go  out  into  the  great  grass-fields  by  night  to  play  and 
feed.  Leopards  are  also  abundant. 

I  was  much  pleased  to  be  able  to  travel  in  an  open 
space,  and  not  always  through  the  dark  forest.  The 


MISTAKE  A  CHIMPANZEE  FOR  ABOKO.          125 

breeze  fanned  our  faces  as  we  went  onward.  Presently 
we  saw  the  footprints  of  huge  elephants  and  of  wild 
buffaloes.  Friend  Aboko  now  warned  us  to  look  sharp, 
for  we  were  sure  to  see  game.  Sure  enough,  he  had 
hardly  spoken  when  we  saw  a  bull  standing,  deer-like, 
upon  the  edge  of  the  wood,  watching  us,  I  suppose,  and 
no  doubt  greatly  puzzled  to  make  out  what  kind  of  ani- 
mals we  were.  He  stood  for  some  minutes,  safe  out  of 
range,  and  then  turned  into  the  woods,  evidently  not 
liking  our  appearance.  We  ran  around  to  intercept  him ; 
and  I  waited  at  one  pass  in  the  woods  for  Aboko  to  go 
clear  around  and  drive  the  bull  toward  me. 

I  was  waiting,  when  suddenly  I  saw  something  ap- 
proaching me  out  of  the  deep  gloom  of  the  forest.  I 
thought  it  was  Aboko  coming  toward  me,  and  I  waited 
anxiously  for  news.  I  did  not  say  a  word  for  fear  of 
frightening  the  game  that  might  be  near  us.  The  object 
came  nearer  and  nearer  to  me,  till  I  thought  I  could 
recognize  Aboko's  dark  face  distinctly  through  the  fo- 
liage. I  stood  with  my  gun  resting  on  the  ground,  when 
suddenly  I  heard  a  shrill  scream,  and  then  what  I  thought 
to  be  Aboko  turned  and  ran  into  the  woods,  showing  a 
broad,  big,  hairy  body.  It  was  one  of  the  wild  men  of 
the  woods — the  chimpanzee — and  a  big  one  it  was,  I  as- 
sure you. 

How  glad  I  was  to  have  seen  this  wild  man  of  the 
woods.  For  a  few  minutes  I  felt  so  astonished  that  I 
did  not  move.  His  black  face  certainly  did  look  very 
much  like  that  of  an  African,  so  much  so  that,  as  I  have 
already  said,  I  took  the  chimpanzee  to  be  Aboko. 

By-and-by  the  real  Aboko  made  his  appearance.  This 
time  there  was  no  illusion,  and  we  had  a  good  laugh  over 


126  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

my  mistake.  I  felt  quite  vexed  that  I  had  not  shot  the 
chimpanzee,  I  should  have  liked  so  much  to  look  at  the 
animal  closely ;  but  I  felt  it  was  almost  like  shooting  a 
man. 

We  left  the  woods  and  started  once  more  for  the  in- 
terior. We  had  not  been  long  on  our  way  when  I  spied 
a  gazelle  right  in  the  middle  of  the  prairie.  How  could 
one  approach  it  without  being  seen  ?  for  the  grass  was 
short.  We  wanted  very  much  to  kill  it,  for  we  had  not 
killed  any  thing  yet ;  and  what  were  we  to  have  for  our 
dinner  and  supper?  No  one  likes  to  go  without  dinner, 
especially  when  wrorking  hard.  Aboko,  Niamkala,  and 
I  held  a  council.  We  lay  down  flat  on  the  ground  for 
fear  of  being  seen,  and  finally  it  was  agreed  that  I 
should  go  toward  the  gazelle  with  my  long-range  gun, 
and  shoot  it  if  I  could.  So  I  started.  I  almost  crawl- 
ed, now  and  then  raising  my  head  just  to  the  level  of 
the  grass,  to  see  if  the  animal  was  still  there.  When  I 
thought  I  was  near  enough,  I  quietly  lay  down  flat  on 
the  ground,  and  rested  my  gun  on  an  ant-hill  that  look- 
ed like  a  mushroom.  Taking  careful  aim  at  the  unsus- 
picious animal,  I  fired,  and  down  it  tumbled,  to  my  great 
delight.  Aboko  and  Niamkala,  who  had  been  watching 
afar  off,  came  rushing  and  shouting,  their  faces  beam- 
ing with  joy.  The  prospect  of  a  good  dinner  cheered 
them  up. 

Others  of  the  party  soon  joined  us.  The  gazelle  was 
cut  up  on  the  spot,  and  we  continued  our  journey  till 
we  came  to  a  beautiful  little  stream,  which  was  too  deep 
to  be  forded.  A  huge  tree  had  been  felled,  and  we 
Crossed  to  the  other  side  on  it,  though  it  was  hard  work. 


A  ROAST.— TOO  COLD  TO  SLEEP.  127 

I  assure  you  I  thought  once  or  twice  I  should  have 
tumbled  into  the  water. 

At  sunset  we  stopped,  quite  tired  out.  We  made  our 
camp  in  the  midst  of  the  prairie  in  order  to  have  the 
nice  grass  to  lie  upon.  It  was  the  dry  season,  and  we 
were  not  afraid  of  getting  wet.  The  people  went  into 
the  nearest  forest  and  collected  an  immense  quantity  of 
firewood ;  not  a  difficult  task,  as  so  many  dead  limbs 
were  lying  on  the  ground. 

We  lighted  a  great  many  large  fires,  which  blazed  up 
fiercely,  for  the  wind  blew  hard.  The  country  around 
was  illuminated,  and  the  glare  of  our  fires  must  have 
been  seen  a  long  way  off.  We  took  our  dinner  and 
supper  at  the  same  time.  I  roasted  my  own  share  of  the 
gazelle  myself ;  I  put  a  piece  of  stick  through  the  flesh, 
and  laid  the  skewer  across  two  forked  sticks,  which  I 
fixed  in  the  ground  on  each  side  of  the  fire.  I  longed 
for  some  lard  to  baste  the  roasting  meat;  but  I  was 
thankful  for  the  good  dinner  I  had,  and  I  enjoyed  it 
thoroughly.  I  had  a  little  bit  of  salt  to  eat  with  it,  and 
also  some  nice  Cayenne  pepper. 

My  men  also  seemed  to  enjoy  their  meal  very  much, 
for  they  had  meat  to  their  heart's  content ;  and  these 
negroes  are  very  gluttonous  generally.  It  was  laughable 
to  see  how  lazily  we  lay  around  on  the  grass  by  our  fires ; 
some  were  smoking,  others  tried  to  sleep,  while  others 
told  stories,  but  we  all  tried  to  warm  ourselves,  and  kept 
continually  adding  fuel  to  the  already  bright  fires. 

The  night  was  clear  and  almost  frosty.  The  stare 
shone  brilliantly  above  our  heads,  and  it  was  bright 
moonlight.  It  became  so  wrindy  and  cold  that  we  re- 
gretted we  had  not  encamped  by  the  forest,  where  we 


128          STOXIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

should  have  been  sheltered  from  the  wind.  It  wa:-  too 
cold  to  sleep,  even  with  my  blanket;  and  my  poor  men, 
who  had  no  blankets,  were  shivering  around  the  fires. 

So  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  ordered  the  men 
to  get  up.  A  couple  of  hours'  sharp  walking  brought 
us  to  a  thick  wood,  and  there  we  were  sheltered.  We, 
quickly  made  up  one  very  large  fire,  enough  for  all  of 
us,  and  stretched  ourselves  pell-mell  around  it  for  a  short 
nap.  We  were  so  tired  that  we  soon  fell  asleep,  not  car- 
ing for  leopards  or  any  thing  else.  We  were  awakened 
by  the  cry  of  the  gray  partridge  (Francolinus  squama- 
tus\  called  quani  by  the  natives. 

I  will  now  say  a  word  about  these  partridges.  Unlike 
our  partridges,  they  perch  on  trees.  When  evening 
comes,  the  old  cock  perches  himself  first,  and  calls  the 
flock  together.  They  all  settle  near  each  other.  In  the 
morning,  before  daylight,  they  begin  to  cluck ;  and  it 
was  this  noise  that  we  heard.  They  do  not  sleep  on 
the  ground,  like  our  partridges,  because  there  are  toe 
many  snakes  crawling  about,  and  too  many  carnivorouf 
animals. 


f  •-.-.' 


AFTEK    DI.NNEK. 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

FHE   HIPPOPOTAMUS. — A   SPECK  OF   WAR. — REACH   NGOLA. — 

A    SUNDAY    TALK. THE     BLACK    MAN'S     GOD    AND    THE 

WHITE    MAN'S    GOD. HOW   KING   NJAMBAI    PUNISHED    HIS 

WIFE. — WE   BUILD   AN   OLAKO   IN   THE   WOODS. 

SUNRISE  found  us  under  way  again ;  and  before  us 
lay  a  fine  stretch  of  prairie,  on  the  farther  borders  of 
which  were  quietly  grazing  several  herds  of  buffaloes, 
which,  as  we  approached  them,  quickly  ran  into  the 
woods.  While  they  remained  in  sight  they  gave  the 
country  a  civilized  appearance ;  it  looked  like  a  large 
grazing  farm  in  June,  with  cattle,  and  hay  almost  ready 
for  harvest ;  a  fine,  quiet,  Old  -  country  picture  here  in 
the  wilds  of  Africa,  that  reminded  me  so  much  of  home 
<V3enes  that  I  felt  happy  and  elated. 

We  pushed  on  rapidly  in  order  to  travel  as  far  as  pos- 
9 


130          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COVXTRY. 

sible  before  the  heat  of  the  day  should  set  in.  "We  came 
to  a  large  pool  or  lakelet,  and,  while  looking  at  the  wa- 
ter, I  suddenly  saw  something  strange  coming  out  from 
under  its  surface.  It  was  a  hippopotamus  —  the  first  1 
had  seen.  I  thought  it  was  a  log  of  wood ;  then  I  fan 
cied  it  was  the  head  of  a  horse;  for  certainly,  from  a 
distance,  the  head  of  a  hippopotamus  looks  like  that  of 
a  horse.  Then  I  heard  a  great  grunt,  and  down  went 
the  head  under  water.  Suddenly  a  number  of  the  ani- 
mals made  their  appearance ;  there  were  at  least  a  dozen 
of  them.  They  began  sporting  in  the  water,  now  pop- 
ping their  huge  heads  out  and  snorting,  and  then  diving 
to  the  bottom,  and  remaining  there  for  some  time. 

I  watched  them  for  a  while,  and  then  I  took  my  gun, 
intending  to  send  a  bullet  into  the  head  of  one  and  haul 
him  ashore,  but  Aboko  said  they  would  sink  to  the  bot- 
tom. Not  wishing  to  kill  one  of  these  creature  for  noth- 
ing, I  took  Aboko's  advice,  and  we  went  away. 

We  had  not  met  a  single  human  being  since  we  left 
•Sangatanga  till  now.  As  we  journeyed,  I  saw  in  the 
distance  what  I  at  first  took  to  be  a  herd  of  buffaloes, 
but  soon  perceived  it  was  a  caravan  of  natives  coming  in 
our  direction.  Immediately  we  looked  at  our  guns ;  for 
in  this  country  there  is  no  law,  and  every  man's  hand  is 
against  his  brother.  We  saw  that  they,  too,  prepared 
for  an  encounter ;  that  most  of  them  hid  in  the  grass, 
watching.  Four  fellows  came  toward  us  to  reconnoitre, 
and  to  ask  if  it  was  peace  or  war ;  when  suddenly  they 
got  a  glimpse  of  me,  and  I  do  not  know  how,  but  they 
at  once  saw,  from  the  fact  of  my  being  there,  that  there 
would  be  no  war.  They  shouted  to  their  companions  to 
come  and  see  the  Otangani. 


THE  SttEKlANlS.  131 

They  Were  Shekianis,  who,  as  I  hare  said,  are  a  very 
warlike  people,  and  this  part  of  the  country,  I  was  told, 
was  thickly  inhabited  by  them.  We  left  them  in  the 
midst  of  their  wonders,  and  traveled  as  fast  as  we  could, 
for  we  wanted  to  reach  a  village  of  their  tribe,  named 
Xgola,  whose  chief  was  a  friend  of  King  Bango,  and  was 
his  vassal,  having  married  one  of  his  daughters. 

At  last,  after  much  traveling,  we  reached  the  village 
of  Ngola.  As  we  approached,  and  as  soon  as  the  women 
caught  sight  of  me,  they  ran  screaming  into  the  houses. 
Njambai,the  chief,  received  us  very  kindly,  and  gave  me 
a  house  to  live  in. 

Ngola  was  a  very  pretty  village,  and  the  house  I  lived 
in  belonged  to  Shinshooko,  the  brother  of  the  chief.  You 
will  agree  with  me  that  Shinshooko  had  a  funny  name, 
lie  was  a  worthy  fellow,  and  tolerably  honest  too,  for  he 
gave  me  the  key  of  one  of  his  doors — (I  wonder  where 
he  got  the  old  padlock  that  was  on  it) — and  he  recom- 
mended me  to  shut  my  door  every  time  I  went  away,  as 
the  people  might  steal  something. 

Sunday  came ;  I  remained  in  the  village.  They  all 
understood  the  Oroungou  language,  so  I  could  speak  to 
them.  I  told  them  there  was  no  such  thing  as  witch- 
craft, and  that  it  was  very  wrong  to  accuse  people  of  it, 
and  kill  them ;  that  there  was  only  one  God,  who  made 
both  the  whites  and  the  blacks,  and  we  should  all  love 
him.  This  elicited  only  grunts  of  surprise  and  incredu- 
lity. They  all  shouted  that  there  were  two  Gods — the 
God  of  the  Ntangani  (wliite  men),  and  the  God  of  the 
Alombai  (black  men).  The  God  of  the  black  men  had 
never  given  them  any  thing,  while  the  God  of  the  white 
men  had  sent  them  guns,  powder,  and  many  other  fine 


132  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

things.  Then  Shinshooko  remarked,  "  You  have  rivers 
of  alongon  (rum)  flowing  through  your  land.  When  1 
go  to  Sangatanga  I  taste  it  at  King  Bango's;  how  nnich 
I  should  like  to  live  on  the  banks  of  such  rivers !"  They 
would  not  believe  that  we  had  only  rivers  of  water  like 
theirs,  and  that  we  ourselves  made  our  powder,  and  guns. 
and  mm  also. 

I  staid  for  a  few  days  in  the  village  of  Ngola,  where 
the  people  were  very  kind  to  me.  One  day  I  heard  a 
woman  crying  out  as  if  she  were  in  great  pain.  Asking 
what  was  the  matter,  a  man  told  me  the  king  was  pun- 
ishing one  of  his  wives ;  and  others  said  that,  if  I  did  not 
go  to  her  help,  she  might  be  killed.  I  hurried  to  the 
king's  house,  and  there,  in  front  of  the  veranda,  a  specta- 
cle met  my  eyes  which  froze  my  blood  with  horror.  A 
woman  was  tied  by  the  middle  to  a  stout  stake  driven 
into  the  ground.  Her  legs  were  stretched  out  and  fast- 
ened to  other  smaller  stakes,  and  stout  cords  were  bound 
round  her  neck,  waist,  ankles,  and  wrists.  These  cords 
were  being  twisted  with  sticks ;  and,  when  I  arrived,  the 
skin  was  bursting  from  the  terrible  compression.  The 
poor  woman  looked  at  me.  The  king  was'  in  a  perfect 
rage ;  he  himself  was  the  chief  executioner.  His  eyes 
were  bloodshot,  and  his  lips  were  white  with  foam.  I 
had  to  be  careful  in  expostulating  with  the  king,  for  fear 
that  he  might  kill  her  at  once  in  a  fit  of  rage.  I  walked 
up,  and,  taking  him  by  the  arm,  asked  him,  for  my  sake, 
to  release  the  poor  woman,  and  not  to  kill  her.  He 
seemed  to  hesitate ;  he  did  not  answer,  and  went  into  li  it-- 
house. I  threatened  to  leave  if  he  did  not  release  her. 
Finally  he  consented,  and  said, "Let  her  loose  yourself; 
I  give  her  to  you." 


WE  BUILD  AN  OLAKO.  133 

How  glad  I  was  !  I  rushed  ont  immediately,  and  be- 
gan to  untie  the  savage  cords,  and  to  cut  them  away  with 
my  knife.  The  poor  creature  was  covered  with  blood. 
I  sent  her  to  my  house,  and  took  care  of  her.  I  learned 
that  she  had  stolen  some  of  her  husband's  beads. 

After  this  I  left  the  Shekiani  village  of  Ngola,  and 
went  on  my  journey  with  my  friends  Aboko  and  Niarru 
kala.  We  traveled  on,  till,  on  reaching  a  place  in  the 
midst  of  a  forest,  not  far  from  a  little  lake,  we  deter- 
mined to  build  an  olako,  for  I  liked  the  country  so  much 
that  I  did  not  want  to  leave  it.  There  were  a  great  many 
wild  animals  in  the  neighborhood,  and  we  thought  the 
place  was  likely  to  afford  us  good  sport,  especially  as  the 
lake  would  draw  beasts  down  to  its  banks  to  drink.  We 
were  not  only  near  water,  but  we  had  a  wide  stretch  of 
forest  and  prairie-land  about  us.  We  worked  very  hard 
that  day,  building  and  arranging  our  encampment,  in 
such  a  way  as  to  make  every  thing  comfortable  and  se- 
cure. Of  course  we  selected  the  prettiest  part  of  the 
forest,  and  where  there  were  many  tall  and  shady  trees. 
We  first  cut  the  underbrush  from  under  the  trees,  and 
also  many  of  the  vines  or  creepers,  which  looked  very 
singular  as  they  hung  down  over  our  heads.  Then  we 
collected  a  great  number  of  large  leaves,  which  are  called 
by  some  tribes  shayshayray,  and  guaygayrai,  to  roof  our 
sheds  with.  After  this  we  proceeded  to  cut  a  number 
of  small  sticks,  seven  or  eight  feet  long,  and  began  to 
construct  our  habitations.  Then  we  cut  branches  of  trees 
to  shield  us  from  the  wind,  and  collected  a  great  quan- 
tity of  firewood,  for  we  had  made  up  our  minds  to  keep 
ourselves  warm.  After  we  had  arranged  and  lighted 
the  fires,  our  camp  looked  quite  like  a  little  village.  It 


STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

was  very  romantic  and  beautiful.  I  had  arranged  my 
own  shelter  very  nicely ;  and  it  was  first  in  the  row.  To 
be  sure,  my  bed  was  rather  hard,  being  composed  of  sticks 
and  leafy  branches;  while  for  a  pillow  I  had  merely  a 
piece  of  wood. 

In  the  midst  of  our  work,  ten  slaves  of  Njambai  came. 
laden  with  provisions,  which  the  good  fellow  had  sent 
after  me.  After  doing  a  hard  day's  work,  I  think  we 
deserved  to  rest  comfortably  in  the  evening.  We  began 
cooking  our  dinner,  and  a  right  good  dinner  it  was.  My 
men  had  monkey  and  buffalo  meat,  but  I  had  a  nice  fat 
fowl  which  my  friend  Njambai  had  sent  me. 

Before  dinner  I  warned  my  men  to  be  honest,  and 
keep  their  fingers  at  home.  They  were  good  fellows,  but 
I  found  that  all  savages  will  steal.  So  I  threatened  to 
kill  the  first  man  I  caught  meddling  with  my  property, 
and  told  them  I  would  shoot  without  mercy ;  "  and  then," 
said  I,  with  great  sternness, "  when  I  have  blown  your 
brains  out,  I  will  settle  the  matter  with  your  king."  To 
which  Aboko  coolly  replied  that  the  settlement  was  not 
likely  to  do  them  any  particular  good. 

Of  course  they  all  protested  that  they  were  honest,  but 
I  knew  them  better  than  they  knew  themselves.  I  knew 
the  effect  of  temptation  on  them,  poor  fellows !  and  had 
more  confidence  in  their  faith  that  I  would  kill  the  thief, 
than  I  had  in  their  good  resolutions. 

When  this  little  matter  was  settled,  they  drew  round 
the  blazing  fire.  By  this  time,  the  buffalo-meat,  suspend- 
ed in  a  huge  kettle  over  the  fire,  was  cooked  and  ready 
to  be  eaten ;  the  monkeys  had  been  roasted  on  charcoal ; 
my  fowl  had  been  cooked ;  and  before  us  was  a  great 
pile  of  roasted  plantain.  "We  enjoyed  a  hearty  meal  to- 


TOBACCO  AND  REST.  135 

gether ;  I  eating  off  a  plate,  and  using  a  fork,  while  the 
black  fellows  took  fresh  leaves  for  plates,  and  used  the 
"  black  man's  fork,"  as  they  call  their  five  fingers.  After 
dinner  they  drunk  a  large  calabash-full  of  palm  wine, 
that  had  been  bi  ought  from  Ngola;  and  then,  to  crown 
their  feast  with  the  greatest  delight  of  all,  I  went  to  one 
jf  my  boxes,  and  lifting  the  lid,  while  the  shining  black 
faces  peered  at  me  with  saucer-eyes  of  expectation,  I  took 
out  a  huge  plug  of  Kentucky  tobacco.  There  was  a  wild 
hurrah  of  joy  from  them  all.  They  shouted  that  I  was 
their  friend ;  they  loved  only  me ;  they  would  go  with 
nobody  else ;  I  was  their  good  spirit ;  I  \vas  like  one  of 
themselves.  I  distributed  the  tobacco  among  them,  and 
in  a  few  minutes  all  were  lying  about  the  fire,  or  seated 
round  it,  with  their  pipes  in  their  mouths. 

After  making  the  fire  burn  brightly,  I,  being  tired, 
went  and  lay  down,  as  you  see  me  in  the  picture.  My 
blanket  was  the  only  article  of  bedding  I  had ;  I  wrapped 
this  around  me,  and  rested  my  head  on  the  wooden  pil- 
low, which  I  assure  you  was  not  of  the  softest  kind.  I 
felt  pleased  to  see  my  men  so  contented.  Their  wild  sto- 
ries of  hunting  adventures,  of  witchcraft,  and  evil  spirits, 
well  fitted  the  rude,  picturesque  surroundings ;  and  they 
lay  there  talking  away,  till,  at  last,  I  was  obliged  to  re- 
mind them  that  it  was  one  o'clock,  and  time  to  go  to 
sleep,  espec'ally  as  some  of  us  were  to  get  tip  very  early 
and  go  hunting.  Then  all  became  silent,  and  soon  we 
all  fell  asleep,  except  the  men  appointed  to  keep  the  fires 
bright  on  account  of  the  leopards,  and  also  to  watcli  that 
we  might  not  be  surprised  by  some  enemy. 


A   LEOPARH   AND   HER  YOTTNG   ONE. 


CIIAPTEE  XVII. 

AJ*  UNSUCCESSFUL   HUNT   FOR   ELEPHANTS. — I   TAKE  AIM   AT 

A   BUFFALO. A  LEOPARD   IN    THE    GKASS    NEAR   US. WE 

SHOOT  THE  LEOPARD  AND  HER  KITTEN. — GREAT  REJOIC- 
ING IN  CAMP. WHO  SHALL  HAVE  THE  TAIL  ? — A  QUAR- 
REL OVER  THK  BRAINS. THE  GUINEA-HENS. THE  MON- 
KEYS. 

EARLY  the  next  morning-  Aboko  and  I  got  up.  Aboko 
covered  himself  with  his  war  fetiches,  and  also  with  the 
fetiches  that  were  to  bring  him  good  luck  and  give  him 
a  steady  hand.  On  the  middle  of  his  forehead  was  a 
yellow  spot  made  with  clay.  When  he  had  finished  these 
preparations  we  started. 

Our  desire  was  to  kill  elephants.  "We  saw  plenty  of 
tracks,  and  we  hunted  all  day  long.  In  many  places,  to 
judge  by  the  tracks,  the  elephants  had  been  only  an  hour 


ABOKO  SMELLS  A  LEOPARD.  .         137 

or  two  before  ourselves.  But  we  did  not  see  a  single  el- 
ephant, and  I  killed  only  a  few  monkeys  for  my  men's 
dinner,  as  well  as  a  few  birds. 

We  were  returning  to  the  camp  rather  downhearted, 
#'hen  I  heard  the  cry  of  the  gray  male  partridge,  of 
ivhich  I  have  already  spoken,  calling  for  his  mates  to 
come  and  perch  on  the  tree  he  had  chosen.  We  turned 
back  to  get  a  shot  if  possible,  for  they  are  fine  eating. 
We  were  just  on  the  edge  of  the  forest ;  and,  as  I  pushed 
out  into  the  prairie,  suddenly  I  saw  several  buffaloes,  one 
of  which  I  made  sure  of,  as  he  stood  a  little  in  advance 
of  the  rest,  where  the  grass  was  high  enough  for  a 
stealthy  approach.  I  immediately  put  a  ball  into  the 
barrel  that  had  only  shot,  so  that  I  might  have  my  two 
barrels  loaded  with  bullets.  Then  Aboko  and  I  advanced 
slowly  toward  the  unconscious  bull,  which  stood  a  fair 
mark,  and  I  was  about  to  raise  my  gun,  when  Aboko 
made  a  quick  sign  to  hold  still  and  listen.  Aboko,  at  the 
same  time,  breathed  as  if  he  were  smelling  something. 

I  did  not  know  why  it  was  that  Aboko  had  stopped 
me,  but  I  knew  there  must  be  better  game  at  hand,  or 
some  other  good  reason  for  his  doing  so.  Perhaps  he 
had  heard  the  footsteps  of  an  elephant.  I  looked  at  his 
face,  and  saw  that  it  appeared  anxious. 

As  we  stood  perfectly  motionless,  I  heard,  at  apparent- 
ly a  little  distance  before  us,  a  low  purring  sound,  which 
might  have  been  taken,  by  a  careless  ear,  for  the  sound 
of  the  wind  passing  through  the  grass.  But  to  Aboko's 
quick  ear  it  betokened  something  else.  His  face  grew 
very  earnest,  and  he  whispered  to  me  "njego"  (leopard). 

What  were  we  to  do?  The  noise  continued.  We 
cocked  our  guns;  and  moved,  slowly  and  cautiously,  a 


138  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

few  steps  ahead,  to  get  a  position  where  we  thought  we 
might  see  over  the  grass.  The  leopard  might  pounce 
upon  us  at  any  moment.  What  would  prevent  him  from 
doing  so  if  he  chose  ?  Certainly  not  our  guns,  for  we  did 
not  know  exactly  where  the  beast  was.  To  tell  you  the 
truth,  I  did  not  feel  comfortable  at  all ;  I  had  a  slight  ob- 
jection to  being  carried  away  in  the  jaws  of  a  leopard, 
and  devoured  in  the  woods. 

Our  situation  was  far  from  being  a  pleasant  one.  The 
leopard  comes  out  generally  by  night  only,  and  nothing 
but  extreme  hunger  will  bring  him  out  of  his  lair  in  open 
day.  When  he  is  hungry,  he  is  also  unusually  savngc, 
and  very  quick  in  his  motions. 

We  knew  the  animal  was  near,  but  we  could  not  suc- 
ceed in  getting  a  sight  of  him.  As  the  wind  blew  from 
him  toward  us,  I  perceived  plainly  a  strong  peculiar  odor 
which  this  animal  gives  out,  and  this  fact  proved  still 
more  decidedly  that  the  leopard  could  not  be  far  off. 
The  thought  passed  through  my  mind, Is  he  watching  us? 
Is  he  coming  toward  us  —  crouching  like  a  cat  on  the 
ground,  and  ready  to  spring  upon  us  when  near  enough  ? 
Do  his  eyes  penetrate  the  grass  which  we  can  not  see 
through  ?  If  so,  is  he  ready  to  spring  ? 

Meantime  our  buffalo  bull  stood  stupidly  before  his 
herd,  not  twenty  yards  from  us,  utterly  innocent  of  the 
presence  of  so  many  of  his  formidable  enemies — the 
leopard,  Aboko,  and  myself. 

Just  then  we  moved  a  little  to  one  side,  and,  peering 
through  an  opening  in  the  grass,  I  beheld  an  immense 
leopard,  a  female,  with  a  tiny  young  leopard  by  her  side. 
The  beast  saw  us  at  the  same  moment,  having  turned  her 
head  quickly  at  some  slight  noise  we  r.iade.  She  had 


WE  SHOOT  THE  LEOPARD  AND  HER  KITTEN.    139 

been  watching  the  buffalo  so  intently  as  not  to  notice  our 
approach.  It  seemed  to  me  as  if  a  curious  look  of  inde- 
cision passed  over  her  face.  She,  too,  had  more  game 
than  she  had  looked  for,  and  was  puzzled  which  to  attack 
first.  Her  long  tail  swished  from  side  to  side,  and  her 
eyes  glared  as  she  hesitated  for  a  moment  to  decide 
which  of  the  three — the  bull,  Aboko,  or  me — to  pounce 
upon  and  make  her  victim. 

But  I  saved  her  the  trouble  of  making  up  her  mind ; 
for,  in  far  less  time  than  it  takes  me  to  tell  you  what  took 
place,  I  had  put  a  ball  into  her  head,  which,  luckily  for 
us,  relieved  her  of  farther  care  for  prey.  She  dropped 
down  dead.  At  the  same  moment  Aboko  fired  into  the 
little  leopard  and  killed  it.  At  the  noise  of  the  guns,  the 
buffalo  bull  and  the  herd  decamped  in  the  opposite  di- 
rection at  a  tremendous  pace,  the  bull  little  knowing  the 
circumstances  to  which  he  owed  his  life. 

I  felt  much  relieved,  for  I  had  never  before  been  in 
quite  so  ticklish  a  situation,  and  I  felt  no  particular  de- 
sire ever  to  be  in  a  similar  plight  again. 

When  we  returned  to  the  camp  there  was  a  great  ex- 
citement as  soon  as  they  heard  the  news  that  two  leop- 
ards had  been  killed.  Aboko  carried  in  the  young  leop- 
ard on  his  back ;  but  mine  was  too  heavy,  and  had  to  be 
left  in  the  field.  Guns  were  fired  in  rejoicing,  and  the 
big  leopard  was  fetched  in.  "When  the  people  returned 
with  it  to  the  camp,  all  shouted,  "  What  an  enormous 
beast !  what  an  enormous  beast !  We  heard  gun  firing," 
etc.,  etc. 

In  the  midst  of  this  noise  Niamkala  made  his  appear- 
ance with  some  of  our  party,  bringing  in  some  wild  boars, 
and  a  pretty  little  gazelle  which  the  natives  called  neheri. 


,    140          STORIES  OF  TOE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

Of  course  the  wild  boars  had  been  cut  up  into  several 
pieces,  for  they  were  too  heavy  to  carry  whole. 

Niamkala  and  his  party  were  received  with  great 
cheers.  The  prospect  of  a  good  supper  brightened  all 
their  faces,  and  mine  also;  and  I  shouted, "  Well  done, 
Niamkala  and  boys !" 

Every  thing  was  brought  to  rny  feet.  There  was  so 
much  to  eat  that  there  was  no  use  in  dividing  the  incut 
into  equal  shares,  so  I  let  every  one  take  as  much  as  he 
liked. 

After  supper  the  leopards  were  hung  on  a  pole  rest- 
ing on  two  forked  sticks,  and  then  the  negroes  danced 
round  them.  They  sang  songs  of  victory,  and  exulted 
over  and  abused  the  deceased  leopard  (the  mother). 
They  addressed  to  her  comical  compliments  upon  her 
beauty  (and  the  leopard  is  really  a  most  beautiful  ani- 
mal). They  said, "  What  a  fine  coat  you  have !  (meaning 
her  skin).  We  will  take  that  coat  off  from  you."  They 
shouted, "  Now  you  will  kill  no  more  people !  Now  you 
will  eat  no  more  hunters!  Now  you  can  not  leap  on 
your  prey !  What  has  become  of  the  wild  bull  you  were 
looking  after  so  keenly  ?  Would  you  not  have  liked  to 
make  a  meal  of  Aboko  or  of  Chaillie  ?"  (for  they  called 
me  Chaillie). 

Thus  they  sung  and  danced  round  till  toward  morning, 
when  I  made  them  go  to  sleep. 

Next  morning  there  was  great  quarreling  among  my 
men.  What  could  be  the  matter?  I  found  that  Niam- 
kala was  declaring  his  determination  to  have  the  end  of 
my  leopard's  tail,  while  the  rest  of  the  hunters  asserted 
their  equal  right  to  it.  Aboko  said  he  did  not  care,  as 
he  would  have  the  tail  of  the  one  he  had  killed. 


THE  LEOPARD'S  TAIL  AND  BRAINS  AS  CHARMS.  141 

I  skinned  the  two  leopards  in  the  most  careful  man- 
ner, and  gave  the  end  of  the  tail  to  Niamkala,  and  I 
promised  Fasiko  to  give  him  the  tail  of  the  next  one  I 
should  kill.  They  all  shouted, "  I  hope  you  will  kill  leop- 
ards enough  to  give  to  each  of  us  a  tail !" 

Poor  Fasiko  looked  very  downhearted.  When  I  in- 
quired why,  he  said, "  Don't  you  know  that  when  a  man 
has  the  end  of  a  leopard's  tail  in  his  possession,  he  is  sure 
to  be  fortunate  in  winning  the  heart  of  the  girl  he  wants 
to  marry  ?" 

I  said, "  Fasiko,  you  have  one  wife,  what  do  you  care 
for  a  leopard's  tail  ?" 

lie  replied, "  I  want  a  good  many  wives." 

The  palaver  about  the  tail  wras  hardly  over  when  an- 
other quarrel  broke  out.  This  time  it  was  about  the 
brains.  Aboko,  Niamkala,  and  Fasiko  each  wanted  the 
whole  brain  of  the  animal.  The  others  said  they  must 
have  some  too ;  that  there  was  only  one  end  to  each  tail, 
but  that  the  brains  could  be  divided  among  them  all. 
For  a  few  minutes  a  fight  seemed  imminent  over  the 
head  of  the  leopard. 

I  said  "  You  may  quarrel,  but  no  fighting.  If  you  do, 
you  will  see  me  in  the  fight,  and  I  will  hit  every  body, 
and  hit  hard  too,"  At  the  same  time  I  pointed  out  to 
them  a  large  stick  lying  by  my  bedside.  This  imme- 
diately stopped  them. 

They  all  wanted  the  brain,  they  said,  because,  when 
mixed  with  some  other  charms,  it  makes  a  powerful 
monda  (fetiche),  which  gives  its  possessors  dauntless 
courage  and  great  fortune  in  the  hunt.  Happily  I  was 
able  to  persuade  my  three  best  hunters  that  they  wanted 
no  such  means  to  bolster  up  their  courage. 


142  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

The  dispute  over  the  brains  being  settled,  Aboko,  in 
the  presence  of  all  the  men,  laid  the  liver  before  me.  As 
this  had  no  value  or  interest  for  me,  since  I  was  certain- 
ly not  going  to  eat  the  liver  of  the  leopard  for  my  din- 
ner, I  was  about  to  kick  it  aside,  when  they  stopped  me, 
and  entreated  me  to  take  off  the  gall  and  destroy  it,  in 
order  to  save  the  party  from  future  trouble.  These  ne- 
groes believe  the  gall  of  the  leopard  to  be  deadly  poison, 
and  my  men  feared  to  be  suspected,  by  their  friends  or 
enemies  at  Sangatanga,  of  having  concealed  some  of 
this  poison.  So  I  took  off  the  gall,  put  it  under  my  feet 
and  destroyed  it,  and  then  taking  the  earth  in  which  it 
had  been  spilled,  I  threw  it  in  every  direction,  for  I  did 
not  want  any  of  these  poor  fellows  to  be  accused  of  a 
crime,  and  lose  their  lives  by  it.  I  intended  to  inform 
the  king,  on  my  return,  that  we  had  destroyed  the  Im-r. 
But  I  told  my  men  that  their  belief  was  all  nonsense, 
and  a  mere  superstition.  They  said  it  was  not.  As  I 
could  not  prove  their  notion  to  be  false,  I  stopped  the 
discussion  by  saying  I  did  not  believe  it. 

Having  plenty  of  game,  we  carried  the  leopard  meat 
a  long  way  off,  and  threw  it  away. 

We  did  not  go  hunting  for  two  days,  but  spent  our 
time  in  smoking  the  meat  we  had  on  hand.  It  was  just 
the  sort  of  weather  for  hunting,  and  for  living  in  the 
woods.  The  air  was  cool  and  refreshing,  for  it  was  June, 
and  the  dry  season ;  but  the  sky  was  often  clouded, 
which  prevented  the  sun  from  being  oppressive.  To  add 
to  our  pleasure,  the  forest  trees  were  in  bloom,  and  many 
of  them  were  fragrant.  The  nights  were  very  cold  in- 
deed for  this  country,  the  thermometer  going  down  to 
sixty-eight  degrees  Fahrenheit.  The  wind  blew  hard, 


NEW  SPECJES  OF  GUTNEA-FOWL.— MONKEYS.   148 

but  against  that  wo  managed  to  protect  ourselves.  The 
dews  were  not  nearly  so  heavy  as  they  are  in  the  rainy 
season.  The  grass  was  in  great  part  burned  off  the  prai- 
ries. 

Every  day  we  succeeded  in  shooting  more  or  less 
game,  among  which  were  antelopes,  gazelles,  wild  boars, 
monkeys  without  number,  and  Guinea-fowls.  These 
Guinea-fowls  were  of  a  beautiful  species.  In  this  coun- 
try you  have  never  seen  any  like  them. 
'  My  joy  was  great  when  I  killed  this  hitherto  unknown 
species  of  Guinea-fowl  (Nuinida  plumifera).  It  is  one 
of  the  handsomest  of  all  the  Guinea-fowls  yet  discover- 
ed. Its  head  is  naked,  the  skin  being  of  a  deep  bluish- 
black  tinge,  and  is  crowned  with  a  beautiful  crest  of 
straight,  erect,  narrow,  downy  feathers,  standing  in  p, 
bunch  close  together.  The  plumage  of  the  body  is  of  a 
fine  bluish-black  ground,  variegated  with  numerous  eyes 
of  white,  slightly  tinged  with  blue.  The  bill  and  legs 
are  colored  a  blue-black,  similar  to  the  skin  of  the  head. 

This  bird  is  not  found  near  the  sea-shore.  It  is  very 
shy,  but  marches  in  large  flocks  through  the  woods.  At 
night  they  perch  on  trees,  where  they  are  protected  from 
the  numerous  animals  which  prowl  about. 

I  killed  several  beautiful  monkeys,  called  by  the  na- 
tives mondi.  What  curious-looking  monkeys  they  were ! 
Only  the  stuffed  specimen  of  a  young  one  had  been  re- 
ceived in  England  before  this  time.  The  mondi  is  en- 
tirely black,  and  is  covered  with  long  shaggy  hair.  It 
has  a  very  large  body,  and  a  funny  little  head,  quite  out 
of  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  animal.  It  is  a  very 
beautiful  monkey ;  the  hair  is  of  a  glossy  jet  black,  and 
it  has  a  very  long  tail.  In  Africa  no  monkeys  have  pre- 


STOKIES  OF  Tin-:  <;<>/;//./. .\  ror.vy/n: 

hensile  tails ;  I  mean  by  that,  tails  which  they  can  twin 
round  the  branch  of  a  tree,  and  so  hang  themselves  witi 
the  head  downward.     That  kind  of  monkey  is  only  found 
in  South  America. 

The  mondi  has  a  dismal  cry,  which  sounds  very 
strangely  in  the  silent  woods,  and  always  enabled  me  tc 
tell  where  these  monkeys  were. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

ALONE  IN  CAMP. HUNTING   FOR  ELEPHANTS. — ABOKO  KILLS 

A  ROGUE. — I  CUT  ANOTHER  PYTHON  IN  TWO. — WE  SHOOT 

SOME  WILD  BOARS. A  BUFFALO  HUNT. RETURN  TO  SAN- 

GATANGA. — KING  BANCO  SICK. 

ONE  fine  day  I  remained  in  the  camp,  for  I  had  been 
hunting  so  much  that  I  wanted  a  day  of  rest.  All  the 
others  had  gone  to  hunt.  I  was  left  alone,  and  I  en- 
joyed the  solitude,  every  thing  around  me  was  so  beau- 
tiful and  quiet.  Nature  seemed  to  smile  on  all  sides.  I 
placed  myself  at  the  foot  of  a  large  tree,  and  wrote  in 
my  journals ;  and  then  I  thought  of  the  dear  friends  I 
had  at  homo,  and  wondered  if  they  sometimes  thought 
of  me.  Then  I  called  to  mind  all  I  had  seen  in  the 
wonderful  country  which  I  had  explored.  I  could  hard- 
ly believe  it  myself;  it  seemed  like  a  dream.  What  ex- 
traordinary people  and  what  curious  beasts  had  I  not 
met !  How  many  wonderful  dangers  I  had  escaped ! 
How  kind  God  had  been  in  protecting  me !  How  He 
had  watched  over  the  poor  lonely  traveler,  and  taken 
care  of  him  during  sickness !  Thus  my  heart  went  up 
in  gratitude,  and  I  silently  implored  that  the  protection 
of  God  might  still  be  granted  me. 

Toward  sunset  Aboko  and  Niamkala  made  their  ap- 
pearance, and  brought  a  fine  young  boar  with  them.  As 
usual,  without  saying  a  word,  they  came  right  to  me,  and 


148          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

put  the  dead  animal  at  my  feet.  Then,  seating  them- 
selves and  clapping  their  hands,  Aboko  began  to  tell  mo 
what  had  happened  from  the  time  they  started  in  tli<j 
morning  until  the  time  they  returned.  They  forgot 
nothing,  even  mentioning  the  tracks  of  the  animals  thej 
had  seen.  They  reported  they  had  found  fresh  elephant 
tracks,  and  thought  the  elephants  had  made  their  head- 
quarters there  for  a  few  days.  After  hearing  this,  we 
immediately  resolved  that  we  would  all  turn  out  after 
elephants  on  the  following  day. 

Accordingly,  in  the  evening,  we  cleaned  and  prepared 
our  guns,  and  every  body  went  to  sleep  early. 

The  next  morning  we  started  about  daybreak,  each  of 
us  carrying  some  provisions.  We  were  to  fire  no  guns 
in  the  forest  for  fear  of  frightening  the  elephants,  who 
are  very  shy  in  this  region.  We  had  taken  pains  to  load 
our  guns  in  the  most  careful  manner. 

We  hunted  all  day,  but  in  vain ;  no  elephants  were  to 
be  seen.  We  slept  out  in  the  woods,  for  we  \vere  too 
far  from  the  camp  to  return.  We  felt  so  tired  that  wo 
had  only  sufficient  strength  left  to  enable  us  to  fetch 
fire -wood,  and  to  cut  a  few  branches  of  trees,  and  lio 
down  upon  them.  I  had  lost  or  forgotten  the  matches, 
so  I  had  to  light  the  fire  with  a  piece  of  steel  and  a  gun- 
flint.  This  took  a  little  longer. 

Very  soundly  we  all  slept,  as  you  may  easily  suppose. 
When  I  awoke  in  the  midst  of  the  night  our  fires  were 
almost  out;  at  least  they  did  not  blaze  up  enough  to 
frighten  the  wild  beasts.  Aboko,  Niamkala,  and  Fasiko 
were  snoring  tremendously.  One  was  lying  flat  on  his 
back,  the  other  had  his  legs  up,  while  Fasiko  had  his 
arm  extended  at  full  length.  By  the  side  of  each  was 


COME  UPON  A  ROGUE  ELEPHANT.  149 

his  gun,  which  touched  him  in  some  way,  so  that  it  could 
not  be  taken  without  awaking  him.  I  believe  it  was 
their  snoring  that  had  roused  me.  They  were  so  tired, 
and  seemed  to  sleep  so  soundly,  that  I  did  not  want  to 
wake  them,  so  I  went  and  added  fuel  to  the  fire,  which 
soon  began  to  blaze  up  again. 

The  next  day  found  us  again  exploring  the  woods  in 
every  direction.  Elephants  certainly  were  not  plentiful ; 
besides,  they  traveled  much  in  search  of  their  favorite 
food  —  a  kind  of  fern,  which  was  not  very  abundant. 
Again  I  got  very  tired ;  but  at  last,  in  the  afternoon,  we 
came  across  our  quarry. 

Emerging  from  a  thick  part  of  the  forest  into  a  prai- 
rie which  bordered  it,  we  saw  to  our  left,  just  upon  the 
edge  of  the  wood,  a  solitary  bull  elephant.  There  we 
stood  still.  I  wonder  what  he  was  thinking  about !  I 
had  seen  the  great  beast  in  menageries,  and  also  among 
the  Fans,  and  I  have  described  to  you  an  elephant  hunt 
in  their  country,  but  then  there  was  great  confusion. 

Here  the  huge  animal  stood  quietly  by  a  tree,  innocent 
of  our  presence ;  and  now,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  I 
was  struck  with  the  vast  size  of  this  giant  of  the  forests. 
Large  trees  seemed  like  small  saplings  when  compared 
with  the  bulk  of  this  immense  beast  which  was  standing 
placidly  near  them. 

What  were  we  to  do  but  to  kill  him  ?  Though  1  felt 
a  sense  of  pity  at  trying  to  destroy  so  noble  an  animal, 
yet  I  was  very  anxious  to  get  the  first  shot  myself ;  for 
it  was  a  "rogue  elephant" — that  is,  an  elephant  unat- 
tached.* It  was  an  old  one,  as  we  could  see  by  the  great 

*  Sir  Emerson  Tennent  ("Ceylon,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  304)  speaks  of  "  the  class 
of  solitary  elephants  which  are  known  by  the  term  of  Goondajw  in  India, 


150          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

size  of  its  tusks.  I  remembered  that  rogue  elephants  are 
said  to  be  very  ferocious.  So  much  the  better,  I  thought. 
1  had  killed  a  good  deal  of  game,  and  I  had  ceased  to 
be  afraid  of  any  of  them,  though  I  felt  that  hunting  was 
no  child's  play. 

You  must  not  think  that  we  were  standing  up  all  this 
time  in  sight  of  the  elephant.  As  soon  as  we  had  seen 
him,  we  lay  down  and  hid  ourselves  in  the  forest  in  such 
a  manner  as  not  to  lose  sight  of  him.  Then  we  held  a 
grand  council,  and  talked  over  what  must  be  done  to  bag 
the  beast. 

The  grass  was  burnt  in  every  direction  to  the  leeward 
of  him,  and  we  dared  not  risk  approaching  him  from  the 
windward  for  fear  he  should  smell  us.  What  was  to  be 
done  ?  The  eyes  of  my  men  were  fixed  upon  me  with  a 
keenly  inquisitive  look.  They  expected  me  to  tell  them 
wrhat  I  thought  best  to  do  about  the  matter. 

I  looked  at  the  country,  and  saw  that  the  grass  was 
very  short;  and,  after  taking  account  of  all  the  chances 
of  approach,  I  was  compelled  to  admit  that  I  could  not 
manage  to  get  near  the  beast  myself  with  any  certainty. 
I  could  not  crawl  on  the  ground ;  my  clothes  were  sure 
to  be  seen  by  the  elephant;  therefore, as  a  sensible  hunt- 
er, I  was  reluctantly  compelled  to  resign  in  favor  of 
Aboko,  who,  I  thought,  was  the  best  man  for  the  diffi- 
cult undertaking.  His  eyes  glistened  with  pleasure  as 
he  thought  that  now  he  could  show  his  skill.  Besides, 
among  hunters  there  is  something  pleasant  and  exciting 
in  knowing  that  you  are  about  to  rush  into  danger. 

After  cocking  his  musket,  Aboko  dropped  down  in  the 

and  from  their  vicious  propensities  and  predatory  habits  are  called  Hora, 
or  Rogues,  in  Ceylon." 


KILLING  THE  ELEPHANT.  151 

short  grass,  and  began  to  creep  up  to  the  elephant  slowly 
on  his  belly.  The  rest  of  us  remained  where  we  had  held 
our  council,  and  watched  Aboko  as  he  glided  through  the 
grass  for  all  the  world  like  a  huge  boa  constrictor*  for, 
from  the  slight  glimpses  we  caught,  his  back,  as  he  moved 
farther  and  farther  away  from  us,  resembled  nothing  so 
much  as  the  folds  of  a  great  serpent  winding  his  wyay 
along.  Finally  we  could  no  longer  distinguish  any  mo- 
tion. Then  all  was  silence.  I  could  hear  the  beating  of 
my  heart  distinctly,  I  was  so  excited. 

The  elephant  was  standing  still,  when  suddenly  the 
sharp  report  of  a  gun  rang  through  the  woods  and  over 
the  plain,  and  elicited  screams  of  surprise  from  sundry 
scared  monkeys  who  were  on  the  branches  of  a  tree  close 
by  us.  I  saw  the  huge  beast  helplessly  tottering,  till  he 
finally  threw  up  his  trunk,  and  fell  in  a  dead  mass  at  the 
foot  of  a  tree.  Then  the  black  body  of  Aboko  rose :  the 
snake-like  creature  had  become  a  man  again.  A  wild 
hurrah  of  joy  escaped  from  us ;  I  waved  my  old  hat,  and 
threw  it  into  the  air,  and  we  all  made  a  run  for  the  ele- 
phant. When  we  arrived,  there  stood  Aboko  by  the  side 
of  the  huge  beast,  calm  as  if  nothing  had  happened,  ex- 
cept that  his  body  was  shining  with  sweat.  He  did  not 
say  a  word,  but  looked  at  me,  and  then  at  the  beast,  and 
then  at  me  again,  as  if  to  say, "  You  see,  Chailiu,  you  did 
right  to  send  me.  Have  I  not  killed  the  elephant  ?" 

The  men  began  to  shout  with  excitement  at  such  a 
good  shot.  "  Aboko  is  a  man,"  said  they,  as  we  looked 
again  at  the  beast,  whose  flesh  was  still  quivering  with 
the  death-agony.  Aboko's  bullet  had  entered  his  head  a 
little  below  the  ear,  and,  striking  the  brain,  was  at  once 
f 


152  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY 

Aboko  began  to  make  fetich  marks  on  the  ground 
around  the  body.  After  this  was  done,  we  took  an  axe, 
which  Fasiko  had  carried  with  him,  and  broke  the  skull, 
in  order  to  get  out  the  two  tusks,  and  very  large  tusks 
they  were. 

Of  course  we  could  not  carry  off  the  elephant,  so  Aboko 
and  I  slept  that  night  near  our  prize  on  the  grass  and 
under  the  tree.  Niamkala  and  Fasiko  had  started  for  the 
camp  to  tell  the  men  the  news,  and  the  next  morning  all 
the  men  hurried  out.  "While  quietly  resting  under  the 
shade  of  a  tree  close  to  the  elephant,  I  spied  them  com- 
ing. As  soon  as  they  recognized  us  they  shouted,  and, 
wjien  near  enough,  they  made  a  spring  at  Aboko  and  tlicu 
at  the  elephant.  All  the  cutlasses,  all  the  axes  and  knivea 
that  were  in  the  camp,  had  been  sharpened  and  brought 
out.  Then  the  cutting  up  of  the  elephant  took  place. 
He  was  not  very  fat.  "What  a  huge  beast  he  was !  "What 
a  huge  liver  he  had !  What  an  enormous  heart,  too  1 

The  trunk,  being  considered  a  choice  morsel,  was  cut 
into  small  pieces.  The  meat  was  to  be  smoked  immedi- 
ately, and  then  carried  to  Sangatanga,  to  be  sold  and 
given  away.  Great  bargains  were  looming  before  the 
men's  eyes ;  they  were  all  to  get  rich  by  selling  the  ele- 
phant's meat, 

1  never  saw  men  more  happy  than  these  poor  fellows 
were.  The  negroes  believe  in  eating.  Mine  ate  nothing 
but  meat,  and  they  ate  such  quantities  of  it  that  several 
of  them  got  sick,  and  I  was  obliged  to  give  them  laud- 
anum in  brandy  to  cure  them.  They  almost  finished  my 
little  stock  of  brandy. 

The  camp  was  full  of  meat,  and  as  we  had  no  salt,  the 
odor  that  came  from  it  was  not  particularly  agreeable 


AT  NIGHT.  153 

Indeed,  I  had  to  have  a  separate  shanty  built  on  one  side, 
and  to  the  windward  of  the  camp,  I  could  not  stand  the 
stench. 

At  night  the  negroes  lay  around  the  fires,  the  jolliest 
of  mortals,  drinking  palm  wine,  which  they  made  regu- 
larly from  the  neighboring  palm-trees,  and  smoking  to- 
bacco when  I  was  generous  enough  to  give  them  some. 
In  fact,  they  were  as  honest  a  set  of  negroes  as  I  had  met 
with  any  where — really  good  fellows. 

As  time  passed  on,  you  must  not  think  that  I  did  noth- 
ing but  kill  animals.  I  rambled  through  the  forest,  and 
studied  every  thing  I  saw.  Sometimes,  wrhen  too  far 
away  from  the  camp,  and  after  a  day  of  hard  hunting,  1 
slept  soundly  under  a  tree  by  the  side  of  a  big  fire,  with 
my  gun  by  my  side,  I  thought  I  would  go  hunting  one 
day  for  wild,  animals ;  on  another,  for  birds ;  and,  when 
too  tired  to  travel,  I  would  remain  in  the  camp,  sleeping 
sweetly  on  my  primitive  couch,  which  consisted  of  a 
couple  of  mats  spread  on  the  bare  and  soft  earth,  with  a 
thick  blanket  for  cover,  the  foliage  of  a  tree,  and  the  blue 
starlit  sky  being  my  canopy  and  roof.  I  had  given  up 
sleeping  upon  bare  sticks,  finding  it  too  hard. 

As  fresh  boar-tracks  had  been  seen  near  the  camp,  1 
could  not  resist  the  temptation  of  having  another  hunt 
after  that  savage  beast.  However  tired  I  might  be,  I 
could  hardly  keep  still  whenever  news  came  that  game 
was  near  us.  I  was  always  in  the  hope  of  finding  some 
new  animal,  or  something  curious  to  stuff  and  bring 
home,  to  show  what  I  had  done. 

"We  had  not  gone  far  when  we  heard,  to  the  right  ci 
ns,  the  grunting  of  some  wild  boars.  As  they  are  verv 
wild,  we  jumped  hastily  behind  a  fallen  tree  to  hide  our. 


£54          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

selves.  In  our  liaste  to  do  this,  I  heedlessly  stepped  upon 
something  in  my  path,  and,  looking  down,  found  I  wag 
running  upon  an  immense  serpent — a  huge  python,  which 
lay  snugly  coiled  up  beside  the  tree.  Happily  he  was  in 
a  state  of  stupefaction,  consequent,  probably,  on  having 
eaten  too  heavy  a  dinner  He  scarcely  moved,  and  did 
not  raise  his  head.  1  ran  to  Kiamkala,  and  borrowed  a 
kind  of  heavy  cutlass  which  he  carried  with  him,  and 
with  a  blow  of  this  I  cut  the  python  in  two  pieces,  which 
instantly  began  to  squirm  about  in  a  very  snaky  and  hor- 
rible way.  During  his  death-struggle  the  monster  dis- 
gorged the  body  of  a  young  gazelle,  which  was  in  a  half- 
digested  condition.  This  python  was  not  quite  twenty 
feet  long — a  pretty  good-sized  one,  you  may  judge. 

The  noise  we  made  in  killing  the  snake  of  course 
frightened  the  wild  pigs.  We  pursued  them,  and  suc- 
ceeded, by  good  management,  and  after  a  hard  chase  of 
an  hour,  in  coming  up  with  the  herd.  They  were  ten  in 
number,  and  we  managed  to  bag  two.  They  were  not 
very  large.  Besides  these  pigs,  my  hunters  carried  the 
two  halves  of  the  serpent  to  the  camp.  We  were  re- 
ceived there  with  demonstrations  of  joy.  They  made  8 
kind  of  soup  with  the  boa,  and  seemed  to  relish  it  very 
much.  I  did  not  taste  it,  and  can  therefore  say  nothing 
against  it. 

I  never  saw  a  country  like  this  for  game.  Ther*  vra* 
so  much  prairie  land  that  it  reminded  me  of  Southern 
Africa.  The  contrast  with  the  great  forest,  where  I  had 
traveled  for  days  without  seeing  any  thing,  was  very 
great. 

For  a  few  days  I  remained  quiet  in  the  camp.  The 
men  had  hi  the  mean  time  been  hunting  and  exploring 


A  BUFFALO  HUNT.  155 

in  various  directions.  As  they  reported  that  great  herds 
of  buffalo  frequented  every  night  a  prairie  situated  about 
ten  miles  from  our  camp,  I  determined  to  have  a  hunt 
for  them.  1  was  very  fond  of  buffaloes,  at  least  of  their 
meat. 

We  set  out,  and  left  our  camp  just  before  sunset.  Our 
route  was  through  the  midst  of  prairie  land,  and  by  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening  we  reached  the  forest  beyond. 
There  we  hoped  to  find  our  game,  and,  securing  for  our- 
selves safe  hiding-places  in  the  woods  on  the  edge  of  the 
plain,  we  lay  down  and  waited. 

Now  waiting  is  generally  tedious,  but  waiting  in  a  cold 
night,  from  eight  to  two  o'clock,  every  moment  expect- 
ing that  which  does  not  come,  is  apt  to  try  one's  patience 
severely.  Mine  was  entirely  gone,  and  I  wished  myself 
comfortably  under  my  blanket  in  camp,  when  sudden- 
ly the  buffaloes  came.  Aboko  heard  them  coming,  and 
presently  a  herd  of  about  twenty-five  animals  emerged 
from  the  woods,  and  scattered  quietly  about  the  grassy 
plain. 

The  moon  was  going  down,  and  we  could  see  from  our 
hiding-places  the  long  shadows  of  the  buffaloes  silently 
gliding  one  way  or  another,  but  never  near  enough  to  us 
for  a  shot.  Soon  they  felt  quite  at  ease,  and  began  feed- 
ing, ever  and  anon  gamboling  sportively  with  one  anoth- 
er. Seeing  them  engaged,  we  crawled  toward  them  slow- 
ly and  with  great  care.  We  had  almost  got  within  safe 
range,  when  a  sudden  change  of  wind  discovered  us  tc 
them.  They  snuffed  up  the  air  suspiciously,  and,  instant- 
ly gathering  together,  they  disappeared  in  the  wooda 

There  was  ill  luck !  My  hunters  cursed  in  Shekiani, 
and  I  grumbled  in  several  languages  But  there  was  stil; 


156  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

hope.  Silently  we  crawled  back  to  our  lair,  and  waited 
patiently  for  two  mortal  hours ;  when  at  last  two — a  bull 
and  a  cow — stalked  leisurely  into  the  fields  and  began  to 
crop  the  grass.  It  was  now  dark.  The  moon  had  gone 
down,  leaving  us  only  the  uncertain  light  of  the  stars 
We  watched  the  motion  of  the  buffaloes  until  we  thought 
we  could  venture,  and  then  silently  crawled  toward  them 
again.  This  time  we  got  within  range.  I  chose  the  bull 
for  my  shot,  and  Nianikala  took  the  cow,  while  Aboko 
was  ready  to  second  me  with  his  gun  in  case  I  should  not 
kill  my  animal.  We  fired  both  at  once,  and  by  good 
luck,  for  the  light  was  not  enough  to  afford  a  chance  for 
a  fair  shot,  both  the  animals  fell  down  dead. 

Daylight  soon  appeared,  and  we  resolved  to  return  to 
the  camp  and  send  men  to  bring  in  the  meat,  thinking 
that  no  wild  beasts  would  trouble  our  prizes  at  such  un- 
seasonable hours.  Aboko  and  Niamkala  first  cut  off  the 
bushy  tails  of  black  glcssy  hair,  and  then  we  made  for 
the  camp,  where  they  showed  to  our  companions  these 
trophies  of  our  chase.  The  men  made  haste,  and  reached 
the  place  early,  but  not  before  the  cow  was  half  eaten  by 
a  hungry  leopard.  The  poor  leopard  who  ventured  out 
so  early  in  the  morning  must  have  been  nearly  famished: 
1  did  not  grudge  him  his  meal,  though  I  should  have 
liked  to  watch  for  him  and  shoot  him,  had  I  thought  of 
his  coming,  for  I  had  plenty  of  friends  to  whom  I  could 
have  given  his  skin  on  my  return. 

A  few  days  afterward  we  broke  up  our  camp,  and 
loaded  ourselves  with  the  birds  and  beasts  I  had  killed 
and  prepared,  and  also  with  the  meat  which  my  men  had 
smoked ;  and  all  the  time  they  were  boasting  of  ho^v 
much  tobacco  and  other  dainties  they  would  get  for  thia 


KING  BANCO  IS  SICK. 


157 


They  seemed  very  jolly,  though  groaning  under  their 
burdens ;  and  I  was  pleased  to  see  them  so  happy.  The 
specimens  of  the  J3os  braehicheros  were  an  inconvenient 
load,  and  I  was  obliged  to  be  very  careful  with  them. 

When  I  reached  Sangatanga,  I  found  that  the  king 
was  in  worse  health  than  he  was  when  I  had  left.  He 
wras  alarmed,  fearing  he  would  die.  He  remarked  that 
it  was  singular  he  had  been  taken  worse  immediately 

o  ** 

after  my  departure ;  and  that,  in  fact,  he  grew  sick  op, 
the  very  night  when  I  slept  in  his  house. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

A.  JOLLY    EXCURSION    PARTY. A    RACE    FOR    THE    FISHING 

BANKS. THE   OROUNGOU   BURIAL-GROUND. 

NOT  long  after  we  returned  from  our  hunting  expedi- 
tion I  prepared  to  go  to  Fetich  Point  on  a  fishing  excur- 
sion. For  this  purpose  it  was  necessary  to  have  canoes. 
I  had  called  on  King  Bango  since  I  returned,  but,  re- 
membering the  rats,  had  respectfully  declined  the  hos- 
pitality of  his  palace.  Nevertheless,  he  remained  my 
friend,  and  gave  me  all  the  men  I  wanted. 

I  not  only  wanted  to  fish,  but  I  also  wished  to  see  the 
burial-ground  of  the  Oroungous,  which  is  not  far  from 
Fetich  Point.  There  were  also  some  enormous  turtles 
on  Fetich  Point,  I  was  told,  and  I  wished  to  catch  some 
of  them. 

My  old  hunting  friend,  Fasiko,  had  got  together  & 


A  JOLL Y  EXCURSION  PARTY.  159 

party  of  forty  men,  Besides  Fetich  Point,  I  was  to  visit 
the  Fetich  River  and  the  end  of  Cape  Lopez.  There  be- 
ing no  houses  whatever  there,  the  women  had  prepared 
for  ns  a  great  quantity  of  powdered  manioc,  baskets  of 
ground-nuts,  sweet  potatoes,  and  bunches  of  plantain. 
We  had  a  very  large  outfit.  Fasiko  got  together  a  lot  of 
mats  to  sleep  upon,  and  kettles  to  cook  in,  and  a  great 
quantity  of  salt,  with  which  to  salt  the  fish  we  hoped  to 
catch.  We  had  several  fish-nets  made  of  the  fibre  of  a 
vine.  We  also  had  fish-hooks ;  and  I  took  an  enormous 
hook  to  catch  sharks.  I  always  had  a  hatred  of  sharks, 
they  are  such  savage  and  voracious  monsters. 

We  had  a  great  number  of  baskets.  The  women  car- 
ried these  to  put  the  fish  in.  We  did  not  forget  guns ; 
for  leopards  lurk  in  the  jungle,  on  the  south  side  of  the 
cape,  and  the  boa  hangs  from  the  trees,  waiting  for  his 
prey.  If  you  got  up  early  there,  as  every  body  at  a  wa- 
tering-place should,  you  could  see  huge  elephants  trot- 
ting down  along  the  beach,  and  cooling  their  tender  toes 
in  the  surf. 

It  was  a  very  jolly  party,  for  Cape  Lopez  is  the  Cape 
May,  or  Nahant  of  Sangatanga.  The  dry  season  there 
answers  to  our  July,  when  "  every  body  that  is  any  body'' 
is  supposed  to  be  "  out  of  town  and  down  by  the  sea- 
side." 

Niamkala  and  Aboko  were  of  the  party,  for  we  were 
great  friends,  and  wherever  I  went  they  wanted  to  go- 
They  were  slaves  of  King  Bango ;  but  we  had  shared  the 
same  dangers,  we  had  shared  the  same  pleasures. 

At  last  every  thing  was  ready.  I  embarked  in  the 
biggest  canoe,  which  was  manned  by  sixteen  oarsmen. 
As  usual,  there  was  a  good  deal  of  shouting  and  bustle 


160          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

before  we  got  off.  The  sails,  made  with  matting,  were 
unfurled,  and  we  set  out  across  the  bay.  We  had  an 
exciting  race  to  see  which  canoe  was  the  fastest.  There 
was  a  stiff  breeze ;  but,  unfortunately,  the  wind  was 
nearly  in  our  faces,  so  that  our  sails  were  of  little  use. 
The  men  worked  lustily  at  their  paddles,  and,  as  they 
paddled,  they  sang  their  wild  canoe  songs.  The  morn- 
ing was  clear  and  bright,  but  in  the  afternoon  the  sky 
became  clouded.  We  reached  Fetich  Point  a  little  be- 
fore sunset,  and  the  men,  who  seemed  as  lively  and  jolly 
as  could  be,  at  once  cast  their  net,  in  a  way  not  material- 
ly different  from  our  mode  of  using  the  hand-net,  and 
made  a  great  haul  of  fish,  the  principal  part  of  which 
were  mullets.  How  beautiful  they  looked !  They  seem- 
ed like  silver  fish. 

The  men  went  immediately  in  search  of  firewood.  "We 
lighted  our  fires,  and,  having  cooked  and  eaten  our  fish, 
which  were  delicious,  we  prepared  for  a  night's  rest  by 
spreading  mats  upon  the  sand.  It  was  terribly  cold,  for 
we  were  not  sheltered  from  the  wind,  which  went  right 
through  my  blanket. 

Not  far  from  Fetich  Point  is  the  River  Tetica,  one  of 
the  tributaries  of  the  Nazareth  River.  The  Nazareth 
falls  into  the  bay  through  a  tangled,  dreary,  and  poi- 
sonous tract  of  back  country,  consisting  of  mangrove 
swamps,  like  those  I  have  described  on  the  Honda  Rives 
and  where,  I  dare  say,  no  animals  except  serpents  are  to 
be  found.  There  are  no  human  habitations  there. 

In  the  morning  I  wished  to  see  the  Oroungou  burial- 
ground  before  starting  for  Cape  Lopez  itself.  It  lay 
about  a  mile  from  our  camp,  toward  Sangatanga,  from 
which  it  is  distant  about  half  a  day's  pull  in  a  canoe. 


OROUNGOU  BURIAL-GROUND.  161 

It  was  only  by  the  promise  of  a  large  reward  that  1 
persuaded  Kiamkala  to  accompany  me.  The  negroes 
visit  the  place  only  on  funeral  errands,  and  hold  it  in  the 
greatest  awe,  conceiving  that  here  the  spirits  of  their 
ancestors  wander  about,  and  that  they  are  not  lightly  to 
be  disturbed. 

Kiamkala  and  I  left  the  camp,  and,  following  the  sea 
shore,  soon  reached  the  place  It  is  in  a  grove  of  noble 
trees,  many  of  them  of  magnificent  size  and  shape.  As 
I  have  said,  the  natives  hold  the  place  in  great  reverence. 

The  grove  is  by  the  sea.  It  is  entirely  cleared  of  un- 
derbrush ;  and,  as  the  wind  sighs  through  the  dense  foli- 
age of  the  trees,  and  whispers  in  their  darkened,  some- 
what gloomy  recesses,  there  is  something  awful  about 
the  place.  I  thought  how  many  lives  had  been  sacrificed 
on  these  graves. 

Niamkala  stood  in  silence  by  the  strand,  while  I  en- 
tered the  domain  of  the  Oroungou  dead. 

The  corpses  are  not  put  below  the  surface.  They  lie 
about  beneath  the  trees,  in  huge  wooden  coffins,  many 
of  which  were  made  of  trees.  By  far  the  greater  num- 
her  were  crumbling  away.  Some  new  ones  betokened 
recent  arrivals.  The  corpses  of  some  had  only  been  sur- 
rounded with  a  mat.  Here  was  a  coffin  falling  to  pieces, 
and  disclosing  a  grinning  skeleton  within.  On  the  other 
side  were  skeletons,  already  without  their  covers,  which 
lay  in  the  dirt  beside  them.  Every  where  were  bleached 
bones  and  mouldering  remains.  It  was  curious  to  see 
the  brass  anklets  and  bracelets,  in  which  some  Oroungou 
maiden  or  wife  had  been  buried,  still  surrounding  her 
whitened  bones;  and  to  note  the  remains  of  articles  which 

had  been  laid  in  the  coffin  GJ  put  by  the  side  of  some 
11 


162  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

wealthy  fellow  now  crumbling  to  dust.  What  do  you 
think  these  articles  were  ?  Umbrellas,  guns,  spears, 
knives,  bracelets,  bottles,  cooking-pots,  swords,  plates, 
jugs,  glasses,  etc. 

In  some  places  there  remained  only  little  heaps  of 
shapeless  dust,  from  which  some  copper,  or  iron,  or  ivory 
ornaments,  or  broken  pieces  of  the  articles  I  have  just 
mentioned,  gleamed  out,  to  prove  that  here,  too,  once  lay 
a  corpse,  and  exemplifying  the  saying  of  the  Bible, "  Dust 
to  dust  thou  shalt  return."  I  could  not  help  saying  to 
myself, "  Man,  what  art  thou  ?" 

Suddenly  I  came  to  a  corpse  that  must  have  been  put 
there  only  the  day  before.  The  man  looked  asleep,  for 
death  does  not  show  its  pallor  in  the  face  of  the  negro  as 
it  does  in  that  of  the  white  man.  This  corpse  had  been 
dressed  in  a  coat,  and  wore  a  necklace  of  beads.  By  his 
side  stood  a  jar,  a  cooking-pot,  and  a  few  other  articles, 
which  his  friend,  or  his  heir,  had  put  by  his  side,, 

Passing  on  into  a  yet  more  sombre  gloom,  I  came  at 
last  to  the  grave  of  old  King  Pass-all,  the  brother  of  the 
present  king.  Niamkala  had  pointed  out  to  me  the  place 
where  I  should  find  it.  The  huge  coffin  lay  on  the  ground. 
and  was  surrounded  on  every  side  with  great  chests,  whirl  i 
contained  some  of  the  property  of  his  deceased  majesty. 
Many  of  them  were  tumbling  down,  and  the  property  de- 
stroyed. The  wood,  as  well  as  the  goods,  had  been  eaten 
up  by  the  white  ants.  Among  some  of  these  chests,  and 
on  the  top  of  them,  were  piled  huge  earthenware  jugs, 
Classes,  mugs,  plates,  iron  pots,  and  brass  kettles.  Iron 
and  copper  rings,  and  beads,  were  scattered  around,  with 
other  precious  things  which  Pass-all  had  determined  to 
carry  to  the  grave  with  him.  There  lay  also  the  ghastly 


A  SAND-SPIT.— PLEASURE.  163 

skeletons  of  the  poor  slaves,  who,  to  the  number  of  one 
hundred,  were  killed  when  the  king  died,  that  he  might 
not  pass  into  the  other  world  without  due  attendance. 

It  was  a  grim  sight,  and  one  which  filled  me  with  a 
sadder  feeling  than  ever  the  disgusting  slave  barracoons 
had  given  me. 

The  land  breeze  was  blowing  when  I  returned,  and  we 
started  for  the  sandy  point  of  the  cape.  It  is  a  curious 
beach,  very  low,  and  covered  with  a  short  scrub,  which 
hides  a  part  of  the  view,  while  the  sand  ahead  is  undis- 
tinguishable  at  a  distance  from  the  water,  above  which  it 
barely  rises.  I  was  repeatedly  disappointed,  thinking  we 
had  come  to  the  end,  when,  in  fact,  we  had  before  us  a 
long  narrow  sand-spit.  Finally  we  reached  the  extreme 
end,  and  landed,  in  smooth  water  on  the  inside  of  the 
spit. 

The  point  gains  continually  upon  the  sea.  Every  year 
a  little  more  sand  appears  above  the  water,  while  the  line 
of  short  shrubs,  which  acts  as  a  kind  of  dam  or  breakwa- 
ter, is  also  extended,  and  holds  the  new  land  firm  against 
the  encroachments  of  old  Neptune. 

Among  these  shrubs  we  built  our  camp,  and  here  for 
some  days  we  had  a  very  pleasant  and  lively  time.  The 
weather  was  delightful ;  we  had  no  rain,  it  being  the  dry 
season,  and  we  were  not  afraid  of  the  awful  tornadoes. 


TUKNING  TURTLES  JtTST  BEFORE   BTTNBI8E. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

OUR     CAMP    AT    POINT    FETICH. AN    AFRICAN    WATERING- 
PLACE. FISHING,  BUT    NOT    BATHING. THE    SHARKS.— 

CURING  MULLETS,  ETC. — TURNING   TURTLES. BIRD-SHOOT- 
ING.  A  LEOPARD   SPRINGS  UPON  US. 

OUR  camp  presented  a  very  picturesque  appearance, 
and  was  very  unlike  the  one  described  a  little  while  ago, 
and  of  which  I  gave  you  a  picture.  Here  each  man  dad 
built  for  himself  a  cosy  shade  with  mats,  which,  by  the 
way,  are  very  beautiful.  These  mats  are  about  five  or 
six  feet  in  length  and  three  feet  wide.  "We  made  our 

O 

walls  of  them,  so  that  we  were  sheltered  from  the  wind. 
Our  houses  looked  very  much  like  large  boxes. 

As  usual,  the  first  day  was  occupied  in  making  every 
thing  comfortable  and  in  collecting  fire-wood,  which  it 


ORAL  AS.—  LARGE  NUMBER  OF  SHARKS,          165 

was  not  so  easy  a  matter  to  find,  for  the  shrubs  did  not 
furnish  much,  and  we  had  to  go  far  to  get  it ;  afterwrard 
it  was  made  the  business  of  the  children  to  gather  brush- 
wood for  the  fires,  and  the  poor  children  had  hard  work 
coo. 

"We  built  large  oralas,  or  frames,  on  which  to  dry  the 
fish  when  salted,  or  to  smoke  it  by  lighting  a  fire  be- 
neath, in  which  case  the  oralas  were  built  higher. 

Some  had  brought  with  them  large  copper  dishes,  call- 
ed Neptunes,  which  look  like  gigantic  plates,  in  which 
they  were  to  boil  down  salt  water  to  get  supplies  of  salt 
for  salting  the  fish,  and  to  take  home  with  them.  Some 
of  the  women  were  all  day  making  salt ;  when  made,  it 
was  packed  securely  in  baskets,  and  placed  near  the  fire 
to  keep  it  dry. 

Every  day  we  had  some  new  kind  of  fish  to  eat  or  to 
isalt  down. 

As  for  myself,  as  I  have  said,  I  had  brought  along  an 
Immense  shark -hook  and  a  stout  rope.  The  hook  was 
attached  to  a  strong  chain  two  feet  long,  so  that  the  teeth 
of  the  sharks  could  not  cut  the  line  if  they  should  s\val- 
low  the  piece  of  meat  or  the  large  fish  put  on  the  hook 
for  a  bait. 

There  were  so  many  sharks  swarming  in  the  waters 
about  the  cape  that  they  were  often  almost  wrashed  upon 
the  beach  by  the  waves.  I  never  saw  such  an  immense 
number.  The  Chinese,  who  eat  sharks'  fins,  would  find 
enough  here  to  glut  the  Canton  market.  In  truth,  I 
sometimes  trembled  when  in  a  canoe  at  the  idea  that  it 
might  upset,  for  if  that  had  happened,  in  a  short  time 
I  should  have  been  seized  by  a  dozen  hungry  sharks, 
been  dragged  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  there  been 


166          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

devoured.  These  sharks  are  certainly  the  lions  and 
tigers  of  the  water:  they  show  no  mercy.  The  very 
sight  of  them  is  horrible,  for  you  can  not  help  thinking 
and  saying  to  yourself,  "  I  wronder  how  many  people 
this  shark  has  eaten!"  There  is  a  superstition  ani<m^ 
sailors  that  whenever  there  is  a  sick  person  aboard  the 
sharks  will  follow  the  ship,  watching  for  the  corpse  to 
be  tlirown  overboard. 

I  confess  I  felt  a  hatred  for  sharks,  and  while  at  Cape 
Lopez  I  killed  as  many  of  them  as  I  could.  Almost 
every  day  you  could  have  seen  me  in  a  canoe  near  the 
shore,  throwing  my  shark-hook  into  the  sea,  and  after  a 
while  making  for  the  beach,  and  calling  all  the  men  to- 
gether to  pull  with  all  our  might,  and  draw  in  my  vic- 
tim. One  day  I  took  a  blue-skin  shark.  He  was  a  tre- 
mendous fellow.  I  thought  we  should  never  be  able  to 
haul  him  ashore,  or  that  the  line  would  part.  It  took  us 
an  hour  before  we  saw  him  safely  on  the  beach.  Now 
and  then  I  thought  he  would  get  the  better  of  us,  and 
that  we  should  have  to  let  the  line  go,  or  be  pulled  into 
the  water.  At  last  he  came  right  up  on  the  beach,  and 
a  great  shout  of  victory  welcomed  him.  Aboko  was 
ready  for  him,  and  with  a  powerful  axe  he  gave  him  a 
tremendous  blow  that  cut  off  his  tail.  Then  we  sma>lic(l 
his  head,  and  cut  his  body  into  several  pieces,  which 
quivered  to  and  fro  for  some  time.  In  his  stomach  we 
found  a  great  number  of  fish.  If  I  remember  correctly, 
he  had  six  or  seven  rows  of  teeth,  and  such  ugly  teeth ! 
I  pity  the  poor  man  whose  leg  should  unfortunately  get 
caught  between  them. 

Hardly  a  day  passed  that  I  did  not  catch  some  sharks, 
and  then  for  a  bait  I  used  to  put  on  my  hook  a  piece  of 


SHA  RKS.— MULLETS. — TUR  TLE-  TURNING.        1 67 

their  own  flesh,  which,  like  the  Cannibals,  they  ate  ap- 
parently without  any  remorse. 

There  is  another  species  of  shark,  of  a  gray,  leaden 
color,  which  is  shorter  and  thicker  than  the  blue -skin 
shark  ;  it  has  a  broader  head,  and  a  much  wider  mouth, 
and  is  far  more  voracious.  This  species  is  the  most  com- 
mon. It  will  attack  a  man  in  shallow  water.  I  remem- 
ber a  poor  boy  who  was  going  to  his  canoe,  where  the 
\vater  was  not  up  to  his  knees,  when  suddenly,  just  as  he 
\vas  going  to  get  in,  he  was  seized  by  his  leg  and  dragged 
into  the  water  by  one  of  these  terrible  sharks,  which  had 
probably  been  for  some  time  swimming  along  the  beach 
watching  for  prey.  In  that  country  it  is  dangerous  to 
bathe  in  the  sea,  and  I  did  not  attempt  to  do  so.  So 
much  for  the  sharks. 

Every  day,  on  the  muddy  banks  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Fetich  River,  we  hauled  in  with  our  nets  a  great 
quantity  of  mullets  and  other  fish.  These  were  split 
open,  cleaned,  salted,  dried,  and  smoked,  and  then  packed 
away  in  baskets. 

Sometimes,  early  in  the  morning,  we  went  out  to  turn 
tin-ties.  To  do  this  we  had  to  start  before  daylight. 
They  come  on  the  beach  to  lay  their  eggs  in  the  sand5 
which  the  sea  does  not  reach.  There  the  heat  of  the  sun 
hatches  them  out.  I  have  sometimes  spied  these  turtles 
early  in  the  morning  coming  out  of  the  water  and  as- 
cending the  beach  in  a  clumsy  way,  until  they  reached 
the  dry  spot  where  they  wished  to  lay  their  eggs.  After 
laying  them,  they  manage  to  cover  them  with  sand.  I 
should  have  liked  very  much  to  see  the  young  ones  come 
out  of  their  eggs.  How  funny  the  little  wee  turtles 
must  look !  But  I  have  never  been  so  fortunate. 


168  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

One  day  we  caught  a  turtle  which  had  only  three  legs  j 
the  fourth  had  been  bitten  off,  no  doubt  by  a  hungry 
shark.  The  'wound  had  got  well,  and  must  have  been 
made  long  before  we  caught  the  turtle. 

Would  you  like  to  know  how  we  captured  turtles  ? 

As  soon  as  they  see  people  coming  toward  them  they 
generally  make  for  the  water.  Then  we  rush  with  all 
speed  upon  the  unwieldy  turtle,  and  with  one  jerk  roll  it 
over  on  its  back,  where  it  lies,  vainly  struggling  to  re- 
cover its  legs.  Then  we  kill  it. 

Hundreds  of  eggs  were  sometimes  found  in  one  turtle. 
I  was  very  fond  of  them  when  found  in  the  body,  other- 
wise I  did  not  like  them.  They  made  splendid  omelettes. 

The  turtles  look  very  curious  when  they  lie  fast  asleep 
on  the  water.  At  such  times  I  am  told  that,  with  great 
care,  they  may  be  approached  and  captured. 

Besides  fishing,  we  had  hunting  also.  South  of  the 
cape  was  a  dense  forest,  in  which  might  be  found  most 
of  the  animals  that  live  in  African  woods.  Several  times 
we  saw  elephants  on  the  beach,  but  we  shot  none.  I  killed 
a  great  number  of  sea-fowls,  which  fly  about  there  in  such 
flocks  as  almost  to  darken  the  air.  They  collect  in  this 
way  in  order  to  feed  on  the  fish  which  are  so  plentiful. 

One  evening,  as  Aboko,  Kiamkala,  and  I  were  return- 
ing from  a  fruitless  hunt  in  the  woods,  we  fell  in  witli 
larger  game.  Passing  along  the  edge  of  the  forest,  we 
were  suddenly  startled  by  a  deep  growl.  Looking  quickly 
about,  we  perceived  an  immense  male  leopard  just  crouch- 
ing for  a  spring  upon  our  party.  Fortunately  our  guns 
were  loaded  with  ball.  No  doubt  we  had  come  upon  the 
animal  unawares.  In  a  flash  we  all  three  fired  into  the 
beast*  for  there  was  no  time  to  be  lost.  He  was  already 


FIGHT  BET\Yi:i..\  A  SA  \VFIS11  AND  A  SHARK.    169 

upon  the  spring,  and  our  shot  met  him  as  he  rose.  lie 
fell  dead  and  quivering  almost  within  a  foot  of  Aboko, 
who  may  be  said  to  have  had  a  very  narrow  escape,  for 
the  leopard  had  singled  him  out  as  his  prey.  lie  was  an 
immense  animal,  and  his  skinj  which  I  preserved  as  a 
trophy,  is  most  beautifully  shaded  and  spotted ;  in  fact, 
there  is  scarcely  a  more  beautiful  animal  than  the  Afri- 
can leopard. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  Nazareth  the  savage  sawfish  is 
found.  It  is,  no  doubt,  one  of  the  most  formidable,  and 
the  most  terrible  of  the  animals  that  live  in  the  water. 

I  was  quietly  paddling  in  a  little  canoe  when  my  at- 
tention was  drawn  to  a  great  splashing  of  water  a  little 
way  off.  I  saw  at  once  it  was  a  deadly  combat  between 
two  animals.  All  round  the  water  was  white  with  foam. 
The  cause  of  this  could  not  be  two  hippopotami  fighting, 
for  in  that  case  I  should  have  seen  them. 

I  approached  cautiously,  having  first  made  my  two 
rifles  ready  in  case  of  an  emergency.  At  last  I  came 
near  enough  to  see  an  enormous  sawfish  attacking  a  large 
shark.  It  was  a  fearful  combat ;  both  fought  with  des- 
peration. But  what  could  the  shark  do  against  the  pow- 
erful saw  of  his  antagonist  ? 

At  last  they  came  too  near  my  canoe.  I  moved  off  lest 
they  might  attack  my  canoe,  for  they  would  have  made 
short  work  of  my  small  frail  boat,  and  a  single  blow  of 
the  sawfish  would  have  disabled  me.  Each  tooth  of  the 
saw  must  have  been  two  inches  long,  and  there  were,  I 
should  say,  forty  on  each  side ;  the  saw  was  about  five 
feet  long.  In  the  end,  the  sawfish,  more  active  than  the 
shark,  gave  him  a  terrible  blow,  making  his  teeth  go  right 
through  the  flesh  of  the  shark.  Several  such  blows  were 


170  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA   COUNTRY. 

quickly  delivered,  and  all  became  still,  the  foam  ceased^ 
and  the  water  resumed  its  accustomed  stillness.  I  pud- 
died  toward  the  scene,  when  suddenly  I  saw  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  river  what  I  recognized  to  be  a  great  shark: 
it  was  dead,  and  lay  on  its  back,  showing  its  belly.  The 
body  was  frightfully  lacerated. 

The  sawfish  had  killed  its  antagonist,  and  left  the  field 
of  battle,  and  only  the  blood  of  the  shark  stained  the 
water. 

In  the  Bay  of  Cape  Lopez,  in  the  month  of  July,  I  could 
see  whales  playing  about  in  every  direction,  and  sending 
water  high  into  the  air. 

They  come  at  that  time  of  the  year  with  their  young ; 
and  the  water  of  the  bay  being  very  quiet,  they  enjoy 
there  the  sea,  and  the  young  whales  get  strong  before 
they  go  into  the  broad  ocean.  Very  pretty  it  looks  to  see 
them  s'  imniing  by  the  side  of  their  big  mothers. 

Ysav  after  year  the  whales  came,  always  in  July ;  but 
one  year  the  whalers  found  them  out,  and  made  war 
upon  them  ;  and  now,  when  July  comes,  they  are  no  more 
to  be  seen,  for  the  whale  is  very  intelligent,  and  knows 
•well  the  places  where  he  is  not  safe ;  so  they  look  out  for 
some  other  unfrequented  bay  wherein  to  play  and  train 
their  young. 

Besides  the  whale,  all  the  year  round  can  be  seen  what 
the  sailor  commonly  calls  the  bottle-nose,  an  enormous 
fish,  not  so  big  as  a  whale,  but  nevertheless  of  great  size. 
It  is  of  the  wrhale  family. 


SCHOONER   CADGIIT   IN    A   TOKNADO. 

CHAPTER  XXI, 

BOUND   FOR   THE    INTERIOR. A    SEA   VOYAGE. A   TORNADO. 

— WE  REACH  THE  FERNAND-VAZ. — SANGALA  WISHES  TO 
DETAIN  ME. A  NIGHT  ALARM.  —  PROSPECT  OF  A  WAR. 

— ARRAYED  FOR  BATTLE. A  COMPROMISE. MY  COMMI 

FRIENDS. 

I  HAVE  been  a  great  wanderer.  On  the  5th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1857, 1  was  on  board  of  a  little  schooner  of  forty- 
live  tons  burden,  bound  for  the  mouth  of  a  river  called 
Fernand-Vaz.  From  there  I  expected  to  penetrate  into 
the  interior.  I  was  on  my  way  to  a  wild  and  unexplored 
region. 

The  name  of  the  schooner  was  the  Caroline.    She  was 


172  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COU.\T/ir. 

full  of  provisions  and  goods  for  the  long  journey  I  had 
to  undertake,  for  I  intended  to  make  a  very  long  explo- 
ration before  my  return  to  America.  The  captain  was 
a  Portuguese  negro,  Cornillo  by  name.  The  crew,  seven 
in  number,  were  Mpongwes,  Mbingos,  and  Croomen,  not 
more  than  two  of  whom  could  understand  each  other, 
iiid  not  a  soul  could  properly  understand  the  captain.  A 
fine  prospect  for  the  voyage ! 

I  got  aboard  at  daylight,  and  should  have  been  glad  to 
go  immediately  on  shore  again ;  but,  by  dint  of  steady 
shouting,  and  a  great  deal  of  standing  idle,  with  a  little 
work  now  and  then,  we  got  the  anchor  up  just  at  dusk. 
The  captain  did  not  like  to  leave  port  on  Friday.  I  told 
him  I  would  take  the  responsibility.  He  asked  what 
good  that  would  do  him  if  he  went  to  the  bottom.  It 
appears  that  the  Portuguese  have  the  same  absurd  super- 
stitions as  many  of  the  sailors  of  other  nations. 

No  sooner  had  we  got  into  the  swell  than  our  two  black 
women,  and  every  man  on  board  (except  the  captain),  got 
sea-sick.  The  cook  was  unable  to  get  the  breakfast  next 
morning ;  and  the  men  were  lying  about,  looking  like  dy- 
ing fish. 

We  set  sail  from  the  Gaboon  River,  and  hoped  to  get 
down  to  the  Commi  country  in  five  days ;  but  for  four 
days  after  starting  we  had  light  wind  and  a  contrary 
current,  and  on  the  fifth  day  we  were  caught  in  such  a 
storm  at  sea  as  I  hope  never  to  experience  again. 

The  steering  went  on  so  badly  when  Captain  Cornillo 
was  below  that  I  was  forced  to  stand  watch  myself.  I 
had  been  steering  for  four  hours,  and  had  been  perhaps 
one  hour  in  my  berth,  when  1  was  awakened  from  a 
sound  sleep  by  the  captain's  voice  giving  orders  to  take 


A  TORNADO.  173 

down  the  mainsail.  I  sprang  on  deck  immediately,  know- 
ing there  must  be  at  least  a  heavy  squall  coming.  But 
no  sooner  did  I  cast  my  eyes  to  the  leeward  than  I  saw 
how  imminent  the  danger  was.  A  tornado  was  coming 
down  upon  us.  The  black  clouds  which  had  gathered 
about  the  horizon  were  becoming  lurid  white  with  start- 
ling quickness.  It  seemed  almost  as  if  they  were  lit  up 
by  lightning.  The  tornado  was  sweeping  along,  and  in 
a  moment  would  be  upon  us.  As  yet  all  was  still — still 
as  death.  There  was  not  a  breath  of  wind. 

I  turned  to  see  if  the  mainsail  was  down,  but  found 
that  nothing  had  been  done.  The  captain  was  shouting 
from  the  wheel;  the  men  were  also  shouting  and  run- 
ning about,  half  scared  to  death ;  and,  in  the  pitchy  dark- 
ness (for  I  could  not  see  my  hands  when  held  close  be- 
fore my  eyes),  no  one  could  find  the  halliards.  In  the 
midst  of  our  trouble  the  wind  came  roaring  down  upon 
us.  I  seized  a  knife,  determined  to  cut  every  thing  away ; 
but  just  then  somebody  let  go  the  halliards,  and,  in  the 
nick  of  time,  the  mainsail  came  halfway  down.  The  tor- 
nado was  upon  us.  The  jibs  flew  away  in  rags  in  a  mo- 
ment. The  vessel  was  thrown  upon  her  beam-ends.  The 
water  rushed  over  her  deck,  and  the  men  sang  out  that 
they  were  drowning,  as,  in  fact,  we  should  have  been  in 
a  very  few  minutes.  Happily,  the  wind  shifted  a  little, 
and  by  the  light  of  some  very  vivid  lightning  we  seized 
on  the  mainsail  like  men  that  felt  it  was  their  last  hope, 
and  pulled  it  down,  holding  it  so  that  the  wind  should 
not  catch  it  again.  The  vessel  righted,  and  in  less  than 
twenty  minutes  the  squall  died  away,  and  was  succeeded 
by  a  driving  rain,  which  poured  down  in  such  torrents 
that  in  a  very  short  time  I  was  drenched  to  the  skin. 


STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

The  lightning  and  thunder  were  something  terrific.  I 
was  afraid  of  the  lightning  striking  us,  as  the  Caroline 
had  no  lightning-rod,  and  we  had  powder  enough  on 
board  to  blow  us  all  to  atoms.  The  deck  was  so  leaky 
that  even  below  I  could  not  get  protection  from  the  rain. 

The  next  morning  we  had  no  jibs,  and  our  other  sails 
,vere  severely  damaged.  To  add  to  our  difficulties,  no 
Dne  on  board,  not  even  the  captain,  knew  where  we  were. 
At  that  time  I  knew  not  how  to  make  astronomical  ob- 
servations. The  captain  was  in  the  habit  of  bringing  up, 
every  day,  an  old  quadrant,  but  about  the  use  of  it  he 
knew  as  much  as  a  cow  does  about  a  musket. 

At  last  we  made  the  land.  A  canoe  came  on  board, 
and  we  asked  where  we  were.  We  found  that  we  muM 
be  somewhere  near  Cape  St.  Catharine,  and  therefore  a 
good  many  miles  south  of  the  mouth  of  the  Fernand-Yaz, 
the  place  where  I  was  bound ;  so  we  turned  about  to  re- 
trace our  path.  Sailing  close  in  shore,  when  I  passed 
the  village  of  Aniambia,  or  Big  Gamma,  the  natives  came 
with  a  message  from  their  king,  offering  me  two  slaves 
if  I  would  stay  with  him. 

I  was  immovable,  for  I  had  set  my  heart  on  going  to 
the  Fernand-Vaz  River,  of  which  I  heard  a  good  deal 
from  my  friend  Aboko  while  in  the  Cape  Lopez  regions. 
As  we  approached  that  river,  the  vast  column  of  water, 
pushing  seaward,  forced  its  separate  way  through  the 
ocean  for  at  least  four  or  five  miles,  and  the  water  there 
was  almost  fresh,  and  seemed  a  separate  current  in  the 
sea. 

At  last  we  came  to  the  mouth  of  the  Fernand-Vaz,  and 
our  fame  had  gone  before  us.  Some  of  the  Commi  JH  «. 
pie,  the  inhabitants  of  the  Feruaud-Yaz,  had  seen  me  be 


1  AM  TAKEN  FOR  A  SLA  VER.  175 

fore  at  Cape  Lopez.  The  news  had  spread  that  I  wanted 
to  settle  at  the  village  of  a  chief  called  Tlanpano ;  so,  as 
we  passed  his  sea-shore  village,  a  canoe  came  off  to  ask 
me  to  land;  but,  as  the  breakers  were  rather  formidable, 
I  begged  to  be  excused. 

Eanpano's  men  wanted  much  to  hug  me,  and  were  so 
extravagant  in  their  joy  that  I  had  to  order  them  to  keep 
their  hands  off,  their  shining  and  oily  bodies  having  quite 
soiled  my  clothes.  They  went  back  to  the  king  to  tell 
him  the  good  news.  I  kept  one  of  these  men  on  board 
for  a  pilot,  being  now  anxious  to  get  across  the  intricate 
bar,  and  fairly  into  the  river,  before  dark. 

As  we  sailed  along  up  the  river,  canoes  belonging  to 
different  villages  shot  out  to  meet  us,  and  presently  1 
had  a  crowd  alongside  anxious  to  come  on  board,  and 
sufficient  almost  to  sink  us.  They  took  me  for  a  slaver 
at  first,  and  their  joy  was  unbounded,  for  there  is  noth- 
ing the  African  loves  so  much  as  to  sell  his  fellow-men. 
They  immediately  called  out  their  names  in  Portuguese : 
one  was  Don  Miguel,  another  Don  Pedro,  another  Don 
Francisco.  They  began  to  jabber  away  in  Portuguese. 
Where  they  had  learned  this  language  1  could  not  tell, 
unless  it  were  in  Sangatanga.  I  could  not  understand 
them,  so  I  sent  my  captain  to  talk  with  them.  He  had 
some  difficulty  to  persuade  them  that  I  came  on  no  such 
errand  as  slave-trading.  They  insisted  that  I  had,  and 
that  the  vessel  looked  exactly  like  a  slaver.  They  said 
we  must  buy  some  of  their  slaves;  they  had  plenty  of 
them. 

They  insisted  that  I  should  not  go  to  Ranpano.  I 
should  put  up. a  factory  in  their  place.  They  belonged 
to  Elinde,  a  town  just  at  the  mouth  of  the  Fernand-Vaz, 


176  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

whose  king  is  named  Sangala.  They  praised  the  power 
and  greatness  of  Sangala,  and  derided  poor  Ranpano, 
until  I  had  to  order  all  hands  ashore  for  the  night,  being 
anxious  to  get  a  good  quiet  sleep  to  prepare  for  the 
morrow. 

During  the  night,  the  men  on  watch  said  they  heard 
the  paddling  of  a  canoe  coming  toward  us.  What  could 
it  he?  Let  us  be  ready.  These  men  might  he  coining 
to  board  us  and  make  war.  At  length  the  canoe  came 
within  hailing  distance;  we  shouted  to  them.  (I  may 
say  that  the  Commi  speak  the  same  language  as  the 
Oroungou  people  —  the  inhabitants  of  Cape  Lope/.) 
They  came,  they  said,  with  a  message  from  King  San- 
gala. I  recognized  the  voice  of  the  head  man  in  the 
canoe  to  be  that  of  Nchouga.  He  was  brother  of  King 
Bango,  of  Cape  Lopez.  Bango  had  accused  Nchouga  of 
bewitching  him,  whereupon  the  latter,  to  save  his  life, 
fled  from  the  country,  and,  having  married  one  of  the 
daughters  of  Sangala,  he  came  to  his  father-in-law  for 
protection. 

Nchouga  was  a  very  cunning  fellow;  fortunately  I 
knew  him  well,  and  he  could  not  fool  me  so  easily  as  he 
thought.  He  came  to  tell  me  that  Sangala  was  the  mas- 
ter of  all  the  river;  that  he  was  a  very  great  king;  that 
he  would  not  let  me  go  to  Ranpano,  who  was  only  a  vas- 
sal of  the  great  Sangala ;  therefore  he  advised  me  as  a 
friend — an  old  friend — to  go  ashore  at  Elinde. 

I  could  read  the  cunning  rogue.  He  had  been  one  of 
the  greatest  rascals  of  Cape  Lopez,  and  his  slave-dealings 
had  not  improved  him.  So  I  sent  Nchouga  off :  I  want- 
ed to  go  to  sleep.  He  had  come  out  to  test  me ;  they 
thought  I  was  a  green  hand  at  slave-trading. 


THE  "BIG  KING."  177 

Early  next  morning  Sangala  sent  off  a  boat  for  me. 
On  my  arrival  at  Elinde,  which  village  was  about  twc 
miles  from  the  river's  mouth,  I  was  conducted  to  the  best 
house.  Hither  presently  came  King  Sangala,  who,  in 
order  to  nerve  himself  for  the  occasion,  had  got  drunk, 
and  came  attended  by  a  great  crowd  of  eager  subjects. 
He  grew  very  angry  when  I  stated  my  intention  of  pass- 
ing up  the  river  and  going  to  Ranpano,  and  also  into  the 
interior.  He  declared  that  I  should  not  go ;  he  was  the 
big  king  there  and  every  where  all  over  the  world,  and  I 
must  settle  in  his  town. 

I  declared  that  I  should  go  on.  Sometimes  I  wondei 
that  they  did  not  at  once  make  me  a  prisoner. 

We  had  some  sharp  words,  and  I  explained  to  his 
majesty  that  I  was  an  old  African  traveler,  und  saw 
through  all  his  lies ;  that  he  was  not  the  big  king  of  the 
country,  as  he  said.  Then  he  said  I  might  go  wherever 
I  liked  provided  I  would  have  a  factory  built  in  his  vil- 
lage ;  but  I  offered  to  "  dash"  him  (give  him  some  pres- 
ents). 

He  refused  this  offer;  and  now  Ranpano,  having  just 
come,  assured  me  that  I  should  be  backed  up.  I  told 
Sangala  I  should  force  my  way  up.  Sangala  and  all  his 
people  shouted  with  all  their  might  that  there  should  be 
war ;  Sangala,  as  he  got  up  to  say  so,  reeled  and  tumbled 
down,  he  was  so  drunk. 

So  I  left  Sangala.  By  that  time  it  rained  so  hard  that 
no  one  followed  us.  It  is  wonderful  how  a  crowd  is  dis- 
persed by  a  shower  of  rain. 

A  great  palaver  was  looming  up ;  the  excitement  had 
spread  over  the  country.  In  the  mean  time  I  had  suc- 
ceeded in  going  to  Ranpano's  village,  situated  up  the 
12 


178          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

river,  five  or  six  miles  above  Elinde.  Ranpano  gave  me 
as  much  land  as  I  wanted.  My  goods  must  come  to  his 
village;  but  it  seemed  that  they  could  not  be  brought 
there  without  great  trouble.  Our  canoes  would  be  at- 
tacked by  Sangala's  people.  Men  would  be  killed ;  and 
we  might  be  routed,  unless  we  had  a  powerful  force. 

One  morning  the  war  drums  beat.  All  Ranpano's 
friends  had  gathered  to  help  fight  Sangala.  Canoe  aft- 
er canoe  came  in  loaded  with  armed  men,  with  drums 
beating,  and  all  hands  shouting,  and  waving  their  swords, 
guns,  and  spears.  All  were  prepared  to  assist  Ranpano's 
white  man ;  all  were  anxious  to  bum  and  plunder  Elindr, 
ready  even  to  die  in  the  undertaking.  There  was  King 
Ritimbo,  with  two  canoes  and  fifty  men ;  King  Mombon, 
from  Sanguibiuri,  also  had  two  canoes;  altogether  we 
had  no  less  than  twenty  big  canoes,  and  could  muster 
about  three  hundred  men,  most  of  whom  were  drunk  on 
miinbo  (palm  w^ine),  and  as  noisy  and  as  ready  for  fight 
as  drunkenness  will  make  an  African.  The  drums  were 
beaten,  war-songs  were  sung,  and  guns  fired  as  we 
paddled  down  the  river.  All  hands  had  their  faces 
painted  white,  which  is  a  sign  of  war ;  and  were  covered 
with  fetiches  and  other  amulets.  The  white  chalk  or 
ochre  was  a  sovereign  protection  against  danger,  and 
their  war  fetiches  would  prevent  them  from  being  killed. 
I  could  not  recognize  old  Ranpano,  his  body  was  so 
daubed  with  paint. 

One  would  have  supposed  these  terrible  fellows  were 
bent  upon  the  most  bloody  of  raids.  I  wTondered  if  all 
this  uproar  would  end  in  smoke;  I  thought  it  would ;  nor 
was  I  disappointed.  As  these  terrible  warriors  approach- 
ed the  village  of  Elinde'  they  became  less  demonstrative. 


PROSPECTS  OF  FIGHTING.  179 

When  they  came  in  sight  of  Sangala's  town,  they  pushed 
over  to  the  other  shore,  out  of  the  way,  and  took  care  to 
keep  the  Caroline  between  the  enemy  and  themselves. 
The  sight  of  Sangala's  warriors  had  wrought  a  wonder- 
ful change  in  their  warlike  feelings.  They  really  began 
to  think  that  there  might  be  some  fighting. 

We  found  that  Sangala  had  also  gathered  his  friends, 
and  had  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  ready  for  the 
fight,  who  probably  felt  about  as  courageous  as  my  men 
did.  These  fellows  were  painted  more  outrageously  than 
mine,  having  red  as  well  as  white  applied  in  broad  stripes. 
They  looked  like  so  many  devils,  shouting  and  firing 
guns,  each  side  knowing  their  mutual  lack  of  courage, 
and  thinking  it  prudent  to  scare  the  other  in  advance. 

My  men  fired  guns,  sung,  and  danced  war-dances.  I 
went  on  board  my  schooner.  One  small  canoe  on  San- 
gala's side,  with  two  men,  who  were  unarmed,  started 
from  the  shore  toward  us.  This,  of  course,  meant  a  pa- 
laver ;  they  came  on  board  of  the  Caroline  where  I  was. 
I  sent  word  to  Sangala,  pointing  to  two  little  guns  we 
had  on  deck,  that  if  he  stopped  me  I  would  blow  his  ca- 
noes out  of  the  water  with  grape-shot,  and  would  then  go 
and  bring  a  man-of-war  to  finish  him  up.  I  loaded  my 
guns  and  pistols  before  them.  I  made  my  men  put  good 
charges  into  their  pieces,  and  showed  Sangala's  men  the 
bag  of  bullets  I  loaded  them  with,  and  then  sent  them 
back,  and  awaited  the  event, 

I  spied  them  with  a  glass.  As  soon  as  they  landed  the 
people  surrounded  them ;  there  was  a  grand  palaver. 

Presently,  from  Sangala,  came  a  small  canoe  to  ask  me 
ashore.  Sangala  sent  his  konde  (chief  wife)  to  be  host- 
age for  my  safety.  I  determined  to  go  ashore,  and,  to 


180  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

show  these  negroes  that  I  had  no  fear  of  them,  I  took  the 
woman  along  with  me,  to  her  great  joy.  Ranpano  and 
his  brother  kings  protested  against  my  rashness,  as  they 
thought  it.  "  Why  not  keep  Sangala's  woman  on  board  ?" 
said  they.  But  I  told  them  it  was  not  the  fashion  of 
white  people  to  fear  any  thing.  They  looked  at  me  as  if 
to  say, "  If  you  are  not  afraid,  we  are."  All  this  had  its 
effect  upon  them,  and  Ranpano  and  his  brother  kings 
were  evidently  impressed,  and  so  also  was  old  Sangala 
when  he  saw  me  come  with  his  wife  by  my  side. 

We  met  on  neutral  ground  outside  his  town.  His  army 
was  drawn  up  in  battle  array,  and  made  a  fine  savage 
display,  many  of  the  men  wearing  beautiful  leopard-skins 
about  their  waists.  They  came  up  to  us  at  full  trot  when 
we  were  seated,  and  made  as  though  they  would  spear  us 
all ;  and,  if  Sangala  had  not  been  close  to  me,  I  should 
have  thought  it  was  to  be  the  end  of  us  all.  Ranpano 
kept  whispering  in  my  ears,  "Why  did  you  not  keep  San- 
gala's  wife  on  board  ?" 

But  this  advance  upon  us  was  only  a  kind  of  military 
salute.  Sangala  this  time  had  become  more  gentle ;  he 
was  not  drunk,  and,  thinking  that  perhaps  there  might 
really  be  a  fight,  he  had  become  very  quiet.  He  did  not 
wish  to  push  matters  to  extremity. 

Presently  Sangala  said  he  would  let  me  pass  if  I  would 
give  him  a  barrel  of  rum — a  big  one.  I  refused ;  I  said 
I  had  none.  He  insisted  that  they  must  rejoice  and  get 
drunk.  He  wanted  to  get  drunk  for  several  days,  and 
drink  rum  to  his  heart's  content.  At  last  the  palaver  was 
settled,  and  I  gave  him  many  presents,  and  thereafter 
King  Sangala  became  one  of  my  best  friends. 

Ranpano  was  delighted ;  he  hugged  Sangala ;  he  swore 


THE  COMMI  PEOPLE.  181 

eternal  friendship,  and  said  that  he  loved  him  with  all  his 
heart.  Sangala  returned  these  compliments.  We  made 
a  sign,  agreed  upon  to  our  men,  that  every  thing  was  set- 
tled. Immediately  they  fired  guns,  embarked  in  their 
canoes,  and  came  over  to  Sangala's  village.  They  made 
a  fine  display,  as  all  their  canoes  came  in  a  line,  and  they 
were  singing  their  war-songs.  They  were  met  by  San- 
gala's  warriors ;  and  they  made  a  rush  toward  each  other 
as  if  they  were  to  have  a  real  fight,  and  then  all  was  over, 
and  they  laughed  over  the  palaver,  and  swore  they  would 
not  hurt  each  other  for  the  world. 

I  need  not  say  how  glad  I  was  that  every  thing  had 
ended  so  well.  Captain  Cornillo,  when  every  thing 
looked  black,  swore  that  he  never  would  come  again  to 
this  wild  country ;  and  the  crew  said  I  wanted  them  all 
to  be  murdered. 

I  found  these  Commi  very  good  people.  I  took  ashore 
canoe  after  canoe  loaded  with  goods  which  might  well 
tempt  these  poor  negroes  sorely.  Many  of  the  things 
were  brought  loose  to  Eanpano's,  and  yet  not  a  single 
thing  was  stolen,  not  even  the  value  of  a  penny.  They 
were  proud  that  I  had  come  to  settle  among  them.  I 
was  the  first  white  man  who  had  done  so. 

I  love  these  Commi  people  dearly,  and  I  am  sure  they 
all  love  me  also,  they  took  such  great  care  of  me.  Kan- 
pano  was  a  very  good  king,  and  he  always  tried  to  please 
me,  and  so  did  his  people.  Now  and  then  they  did  wrong, 
but  these  poor  people  knew  no  better,  and  they  were  sor- 
ry afterward.  Not  one  would  have  tried  to  do  me  an  in' 
jury,  and  I  could  sleep  with  my  doors  wide  open. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

»    BUILD   A   VILLAGE,  AND    CALL    IT   WASHINGTON. — I    STAItt 

FOB    THE    INTERIOR. MY    SPEECH     ON     LEAVING. Till; 

PEOPLE    APPLAUD    ME    VOCIFEROUSLY,    AND     PROMISK    TO 

BE   HONEST. WE   REACH   ANIAMBIA. THE  "  BIO    KING," 

OLENGA-YOMBI. A    ROYAL   BALL    IN    MY    HONOR. THE 

SUPERSTITIONS    OF    THE    NATIVES. A   MAN   TOSSED   BY    A 

BUFFALO. WE   CAPTURE   A   YOUNG   GORILLA. 

I  IMMEDIATELY  began  building  a  substantial  settle- 
ment, not  an  olako.  I  collected  from  a  kind  of  palm- 
tree  a  great  many  leases,  with  which,  to  cover  the  roofs 
of  the  building  I  had  to  -construct.  I  gathered  also,  a 
great  quantity  of  branches  from  the  same  palm-trees, 
and  sticks,  and  poles,  and  all  that  was  necessary  to  make 
a  house ;  and  finally  I  succeeded  in  building  quite  a  vil- 
lage, which  I  called  Washington.  My  own  hou.se  had 
five  rooms;  it  was  forty -five  feet  long  by  twenty -five 
feet  wide,  and  cost  me  about  fifty  dollars.  My  kitchen, 
which  stood  by  itself,  cost  four  dollars.  I  had  a  fowl- 
house,  containing  a  hundred  chickens  (and  such  nice  lit- 
tle tiny  chickens  they  are  in  that  country),  and  a  dozen 
ducks.  My  goat -house  contained  eighteen  goats,  and 
funny  goats  they  were.  You  had  to  milk  a  dozen  of 
them  to  get  a  pint  of  milk.  I  built  a  powder- house 
separate,  for  I  do  not  like  to  sleep  every  day  in  a  place 
where  there  is  powder.  1  had  a  do/en  huts  for  my  men. 


SET  OUT  ON  AN  EXPLORING  TOUR.  185 

This  was  Washington  in  Africa,  a  very  different  place 
from  Washington  in  America. 

At  the  back  of  my  village  was  a  wide  extent  of  prai- 
rie. In  front  was  the  river  Npoulounai  winding  along ; 
and  I  could  see  miles  out  on  the  way  which  I  was  soon 
to  explore.  The  river  banks  were  lined  with  the  man- 
grove-trees ;  and,  looking  up  stream,  I  could  at  almost 
any  time  see  schools  of  hippopotami  tossing  and  turn 
bling  on  the  flats  or  mud  banks. 

I  was  now  ready  to  explore  the  country,  and  go  to 
Aniambia,  where  the  big  king  of  the  country  lived.  I 
bought  a  splendid  canoe,  made  of  large  trees,  which  1 
hoped  would  be  serviceable  to  me  in  my  up-river  ex- 
plorations. I  was  now  anxious  to  be  off. 

Before  starting  I  called  Ranpano  and  all  his  people 
together,  and  said  that  I  had  perfect  confidence  in 
them ;  that  I  was  their  white  man,  and  had  come  to  them 
through  much  difficulty  and  many  dangers.  (Cheers.) 
That  Sangala's  people  wanted  me,  but  I  was  determined 
to  live  with  the  honest  folks  of  Biagano  (Ranpano's  vil- 
lage). (Tremendous  applause.)  That  I  was  going  away 
for  a  few  days,  and  hoped  to  find  my  goods  all  safe  when 
I  came  back. 

At  this  there  were  great  shoutings  of  "  You  can  go ! 
Do  not  fear !  We  love  you !  You  are  our  white  man ! 
We  will  take  care  of  you !"  and  so  on ;  amid  which  my 
sixteen  men  seized  their  paddles  and  shoved  off. 

At  nine  in  the  evening  the  moon  rose,  and  we  pulled 
along  through  what  seemed  a  charming  scene.  The 
placid  stream  was  shaded  by  the  immense  trees  which 
overhung  its  banks,  and  the  silence  was  broken  now  and 
then  by  the  screech  of  some  night -prowling  beast,  or, 


186          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

more  frequently,  by  the  sudden  plunge  of  a  playful  herd 
of  hippopotami,  some  of  which  came  very  dangerously 
near  us,  and  might  have  upset  our  canoe. 

Toward  midnight  my  men  became  very  tired,  and  we 
went  ashore  at  a  little  village  which  was  nearly  deserted. 
We  could  find  only  three  old  women,  who  were  fust 
asleep,  and  were  not  particularly  anxious  to  make  us  wel- 
come. I  was  too  sleepy  to  stand  upon  ceremonies,  and 
stowed  myself  a^  ay  under  a  rough  shed  without  walls. 
I  had  scarcely  lain  down  when  there  came  up  suddenly 
one  of  those  fierce  tornadoes  which  pass  over  these  coun- 
tries in  the  rainy  season.  Fortunately,  it  was  a  dry  tor- 
nado. In  my  half -sleepy  state  I  did  not  care  to  move. 
As  the  tornado  had  unroofed  every  other  shed  as  well  as 
mine,  nothing  would  have  been  gained  by  moving,  even 
if  it  had  rained. 

The  next  morning  we  paid  for  our  lodging,  not  in 
hard  cash,  but  with  some  leaves  of  tobacco,  and  up  the 
river  we  paddled  until  we  reached  a  village  called  Igala 
Maude,  which  is  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  In 
a  two-hours'  walk  through  grass-fields  we  found  numer- 
ous birds.  One,  in  particular,  was  new  to  me,  the  Myc- 
teria  senegalensw.  It  had  such  long  legs  that  it  fairly 
outwalked  me.  I  tried  to  catch  it;  but, though  it  would 
not  take  to  its  wings,  it  kept  so  far  ahead  that  1  did  not 
even  get  a  fair  shot  at  it.  This  Mycteria  senegalensis  is 
a  beautiful  bird,  and  wanders  here  through  the  grass  of 
the  prairie. 

There  were  also  great  flocks  of  a  beautiful  bird,  whose 
dark  golden  body-plumage,  and  long,  snow-white  downy 
neck  make  a  very  fine  and  marked  contrast  with  the 
green  grass.  Next  to  these,  in  point  of  number,  was  the 


OLENGA-YOMJ3L—WILD  HOGS.  187 

snow-white  egretta,  which  is  found  in  vast  flocks  all  along 
this  coast. 

At  last  we  came  to  Aniambia.  Olenga  -  Yombi,  the 
king,  came  in  from  his  plantation  when  he  heard  the 
joyful  newrs  that  a  white  man  had  arrived.  I  paid  him 
a  state  visit.  lie  was  a  drunken  old  wretch,  surrounded 
by  a  crowd  of  the  cliief  men  of  the  town.  His  majesty 
had  on  a  thick  overcoat,  but  no  trowsers ;  and,  early  as  it 
was,  he  had  already  taken  a  goodly  quantity  of  palm 
wine,  and  was  quite  drunk.  I  was  invited  to  sit  at  his 
right  hand. 

King  Olenga -Yombi  was  one  of  the  ugliest  fellows  I 
ever  met  with.  He  always  carried  with  him  a  long 
stick,  and  when  drunk  he  struck  at  his  people  right  and 
left,  and  shouted,  "  I  am  a  big  king !"  Happily,  they 
manage  to  keep  out  of  his  way. 

At  nightfall  I  got  a  guide,  and  went  out  to  see  if  I 
could  get  a  shot  at  something  larger  than  a  bird.  "We 
had  gone  but  a  little  way  when  my  guide  pointed  out  to 
me  a  couple  of  bright  glowing  spots  visible  through  a 
piece  of  thick  brush.  The  fellow  trembled  as  he  whis- 
pered "Leopard!"  But  I  saw  at  once  that  it  was  only 
the  light  of  a  couple  of  fireflies  which  had  got  in  proper 
position  to  make  a  tolerable  resemblance  to  the  glowing 
eyes  of  the  dreaded  leopard. 

I  did  not  think  much  of  the  bravery  of  my  guide. 
What  a  difference  between  him  and  Aboko,  Niamkala. 
or  Faeiko !  I  wished  that  I  had  them  with  me. 

At  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  at  last  heard  a 
grunting,  which  announced  the  approach  of  a  herd  of 
wild  hogs.  I  lay  in  wait  for  them,  and  was  fortunate 
enough  to  kill  the  big  boar  of  the  pack.  The  rest  of  the 
herd  made  off  without  showing  a  desire  for  fight. 


188          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

The  next  day  King  Olenga-Yombi  held  a  grand  dance 
in  my  honor.  All  the  king's  wives,  to  the  number  of 
forty,  and  all  the  women  in  the  town  and  neighborhood, 
were  present. 

Fortunately,  the  dance  was  held  out  in  the  street,  and 
not  in  a  room,  as  at  Cape  Lopez.  The  women  wen- 
ranged  on  one  side,  the  men  opposite.  At  the  end  of 
the  line  sat  the  drummers,  beating  their  huge  tom-toms, 
which  make  an  infernal  din,  enough  to  make  one  deaf ; 
and,  as  if  for  this  occasion  the  tom-toms  were  not  entire- 
ly adequate,  there  was  a  series  of  old  brass  kettles,  wh id i 
also  were  furiously  beaten.  In  addition,  as  if  the  noise 
was  not  yet  enough,  a  number  of  boys  sat  near  the  drum- 
mers, and  beat  on  hollow  pieces  of  wood.  What  beauty 
they  found  in  such  music  I  can  not  tell.  There  was,  of 
course,  singing  and  shouting ;  and  the  more  loudly  and 
energetically  the  horrid  drums  were  beaten,  and  the  worse 
the  noise  on  the  brass  kettles,  the  wilder  were  the  jumps 
of  the  male  Africans,  and  the  more  disgusting  the  con- 
tortions of  the  women. 

As  may  be  imagined,  to  beat  the  tom-tom  is  not  a  la- 
bor of  love ;  the  stoutest  negro  is  worn  out  in  an  hour, 
and  for  such  a  night's  entertainment  as  this  a  series  of 
drummers  was  required. 

The  people  enjoyed  it  vastly ;  their  only  regret  was 
that  they  had  not  a  barrel  of  rum  in  the  midst  of  the 
street  with  which  to  refresh  themselves  in  the  pauses  of 
the  dance;  but  they  managed  to  get  just  as  drunk  on 
palm  wine,  of  which  a  great  quantity  was  served  out. 

The  excitement  became  the  greatest  when  the  king 
danced.  His  majesty  was  pretty  drunk,  and  his  jumps 
were  very  highly  applauded.  Ilis  wives  bowed  down  to 


THE  DEVIL  OF  THE  COMMI  PEOPLE.  189 

his  feet  while  lie  capered  about,  and  showed  toward  him 
the  deepest  veneration.  The  drums  and  kettles  were 
belabored  more  furiously  than  ever,  and  the  singing,  or 
rather  the  shouting,  became  stentorian. 

Of  course  I  did  not  think  his  majesty's  party  pleasant 
enough  to  detain  me  all  night.  I  retired,  but  could  not 
sleep. 

Now  I  think  I  have  given  you  a  sufficient  account  of  a 
ball  at  Aniambia,  and  of  how  his  majesty  Olenga-Yombi 
danced. 

There  are  two  very  curious  fetich-houses  in  Aniambia, 
which  enjoy  the  protection  of  two  spirits  of  great  power 
— Abambou  and  Mbiuri.  The  former  is  an  evil  spirit, 
a  kind  of  devil ;  the  latter,  as  far  as  I  have  been  able  to 
ascertain,  is  beneficent. 

The  little  houses  where  these  spirits  sometimes  conde- 
scended to  come  and  sleep  for  the  night  were  about  six 
feet  square.  In  the  house  of  Abambou  I  saw  a  fire  wThich 
I  was  told  was  never  permitted  to  go  out.  I  saw  no  idol, 
but  only  a  large  chest,  on  the  top  of  which  were  some 
white  and  red  chalk  and  some  red  parrot  feathers.  The 
chalk  was  used  to  mark  the  bodies  of  the  devout. 

Abambou  is  the  devil  of  the  Commi  people.  He  is  a 
wicked  and  mischievous  fellow,  wrho  often  lives  near 
graves  and  burial-grounds,  and  is  most  comfortably 
lodged  among  the  skeletons  of  the  dead.  He  takes  oc- 
casional walks  through  the  country,  and,  if  he  gets  angry 
at  any  one,  he  has  the  power  to  cause  sickness  and  death. 
The  Commi  people  cook  food  for  him,  which  is  deposit- 
ed in  lonely  places  in  the  woods,  and  there  they  address 
him  in  a  flattering  manner,  and  ask  him  to  be  good  to 
them,  and,  in  consideration  of  their  gifts,  and  of  the  great 


190  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

care  they  take  of  him,  to  let  them  alone.  I  was  present 
once  at  a  meeting  where  Abambou  was  being  addressed 
in  public.  They  cried  continually,  "  Now  we  are  well ! 
Now  we  are  satisfied!  Now  be  our  friend,  Abambou, 
and  do  not  hurt  us !" 

The  offerings  of  plantain,  bananas,  sugar-cane,  ground- 
nuts, etc.,  etc.,  are  wrapped  in  leaves  by  the  freemen,  but 
the  slaves  lay  them  on  the  bare  ground.  Sometimes 
Abambou  is  entreated  to  kill  the  enemies  of  him  who 
is  making  the  offering.  A  bed  is  made  in  Abambou's 
house,  and  there  he  is  believed  to  rest  himself  some- 
times when  he  is  tired  going  up  and  down  the  coast  in 
the  forest. 

Mbiuri,  whose  house  I  next  visited,  is  lodged  and  kept 
much  in  the  same  way  as  his  rival.  He  is  a  good  spirit, 
but  his  powers  are  like  those  of  Abambou,  as  far  as  I 
could  make  out.  Not  being  wicked,  he  is  less  zealously 
worshiped. 

These  Commi  people  are  full  of  superstition.  They 
believe  in  a  third  and  much-dreaded  spirit  called  Oven- 
gua.  This  is  the  terrible  catcher  and  eater  of  men.  lie 
is  not  worshiped,  and  has  no  power  over  disease ;  but  lie 
wanders  unceasingly  through  the  forests,  and  catches  and 
destroys  luckless  travelers  who  cross  his  path.  By  d:iy 
he  lives  in  dark  caverns,  but  at  night  he  roams  freely, 
and  even  sometimes  gets  into  the  body  of  a  man,  and 
beats  and  kills  all  who  come  out  in  the  dark.  Some- 
times, they  relate,  such  a  spirit  is  met  and  resisted  by  a 
body  of  men,  who  wound  him  with  spears,  and  even  kill 
him.  In  this  case  the  body  must  be  burned,  and  not  even 
the  smallest  bone  left,  lest  a  new  Ovengua  should  arise 
from  it.  There  are  many  places  where  no  object  in  the 


WITCHCRAFT.— BELIEF  OF  THE  COMMI.         19] 

world  would  induce  a  Commi  negro  to  go  by  night,  for 
fear  of  this  dreadful  monster. 

They  have  a  singular  belief  that  when  a  person  dies 
who  has  been  bewitched,  the  bones  of  his  body  leave  the 
grave  one  by  one,  and  form  in  a  single  line  united  to 
each  other,  which  line  of  bones  gradually  becomes  an 
Ovengua. 

It  is  not  an  easy  matter  to  get  at  the  religious  notions 
of  these  people.  They  themselves  have  no  well-defined 
ideas  of  them,  and  on  many  points  they  are  not  very  com- 
municative. 

I  suppose  they  think  that  sometimes  the  Ovengua  is  in 
a  man ;  hence  they  kill  him,  and  burn  his  body. 

Of  course  the  Commi  people,  like  all  other  negroes,  are 
firm  believers  in  witchcraft. 

Not  very  far  from  Aniambia  there  is  a  place  in  the 
forest  which  is  supposed  to  be  haunted  by  the  spirit  of  a 
crazy  woman,  who,  some  hundreds  of  years  ago,  left  her 
home.  They  believe  that  she  cultivates  her  plantation 
in  some  hidden  recess  of  the  forest,  and  that  she  often 
lies  in  wait  for  travelers,  whom  she  beats  and  kills  out  of 
pure  malice. 

While  at  Aniambia  I  had  a  great  adventure  with  a  los 
IrachicheroS)  which  might  have  ended  in  a  terrible  way. 
I  started  out  early  one  day  to  try  and  get  a  shot  at  some 
buffaloes  which  were  said  to  be  in  the  prairie  at  the  back 
of  the  town.  I  had  been  an  hour  on  the  plains  with 
Ifouta,  a  hunter,  when  we  came  upon  a  bull  feeding  in 
the  midst  of  a  little  prairie  surrounded  by  woods,  which 
made  an  approach  easy.  I  remember  well  how  beauti* 
ful  the  animal  looked.  Ifouta  walked  round  through 
the  jungle  opposite  to  where  I  lay  in  wait;  for,  if  the 


192  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

animal  should  take  fright  at  him,  it  might  fly  toward 
me.  When  lie  reached  the  right  position,  Ifouta  be^an 
to  crawl,  in  the  hunter's  fashion,  through  the  grass  to- 
ward his  prey.  All  went  well  till  he  came  near  enough 
for  a  shot.  Just  then,  unluckily,  the  bull  saw  him.  Ifou- 
ta immediately  tired.  It  was  a  long  shot,  and  he  only 
wounded  the  beast,  which,  quite  infuriated,  immediately 
rushed  upon  him.  It  was  now  that  poor  Ifouta  lost  his 
presence  of  mind.  In  such  cases,  which  are  continually 
happening  to  those  who  hunt  the  bos  brackicheros,  the 
proper  course  for  the  hunter  is  to  remain  perfectly  quiet 
till  the  beast  is  within  a  jump  of  him,  then  to  step  nim- 
bly to  one  side,  and  let  him  rush  past.  But  Ifouta  got 
up  and  ran. 

The  bull  ran  faster  than  he,  and  in  a  moment  had 
him  on  his  'horns.  He  tossed  him  high  into  the  air, 
once,  twice,  thrice,  before  I  could  come  up ;  for,  as  soon 
as  I  saw  what  had  happened,  I  ran  as  fast  as  I  could  to 
the  rescue,  and  my  shouts  drew  the  bull's  fury  upon  my- 
self. He  left  Ifouta,  and  came  rushing  at  me,  thinking 
that  he  would  serve  me  as  he  had  just  served  Ifouta. 
Master  Bull  was  sadly  mistaken.  I  took  a  good  aim, 
and  down  came  the  bull,  to  rise  no  more. 

Ifouta  proved  to  be  considerably  bruised ;  but,  on  the 
whole,  he  was  more  scared  than  hurt.  It  was  fortunate 
for  him  that  the  horns  of  these  buffaloes  slant  backward 
a  good  deal,  and  are  curved. 


OAPTUEING  A  YOTTNG  GOBILtA. 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

CAPTURE    OF    A    YOUNG    GORILLA. 1    CALL    HIM   "FIGHTING 

JOE."  —  HIS    STRENGTH    AND    BAD    TEMPER. HE    PROVES 

UNTAMABLE. JOE   ESCAPES.  • —  RECAPTURED. ESCAPES 

AGAIN. UNPLEASANT  TO   HANDLE. — DEATH    OF  FIGHTING 

JOE. 

I  REMEMBER  well  the  day  when  I  first  possessed  a  liv«i 
gorilla.  Yes,  a  gorilla  that  could  roar ;  a  young  gorilla 
alive !  He  was  captured  net  far  from  Cape  St.  Catha- 
rine, and  dragged  into  Washington. 

My  hunters  were  five  in  number,  and  were  walking 
very  silently  through  the  forest,  when  suddenly  the  si- 
tence  was  broken  by  the  cry  of  a  young  gorilla  for  its 
mother.  Every  thing  was  still.  It  was  about  noon,  and 
they  immediately  determined  to  follow  the  cry. 

Soon  they  heard  the  cry  again.  Gun  in  hand,  the 
13 


104          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COVM'liY. 

brave  fellows  crept  noiselessly  toward  a  clump  of  w<  ><  >d. 
where  the  baby  gorilla  evidently  was.  They  l<ne\v  the 
mother  would  be  near;  and  there  was  a  likelihood  that 
they  might  encounter  the  male  also,  which  they  dread 
more  than  they  do  the  mother.  But  they  determined  to 
risk  every  thing,  and,  if  possible,  to  take  the  young  one 
alive,  knowing  how  pleased  I  should  be,  for  I  had  been 
long  trying  to  capture  a  }'oung  gorilla. 

Presently  they  perceived  the  bush  moving ;  and  crawl- 
ing a  little  farther  on,  in  dead  silence,  scarcely  breathing 
with  excitement,  they  beheld  what  had  seldom  been  seen 
even  by  negroes.  A  young  gorilla  was  seated  on  the 
ground,  as  the  picture  shows  you,  eating  some  berries, 
which  grew  close  to  the  earth.  A  few  feet  farther  on 
sat  the  mother,  also  eating  some  of  the  fruit. 

Instantly  they  made  ready  to  fire ;  and  none  too  soon, 
for  the  old  female  saw  them  as  they  raised  their  guns, 
and  they  had  to  pull  triggers  without  delay.  Happily, 
they  wounded  her  mortally. 

She  fell  on  her  face,  the  blood  gushing  from  the 
wounds.  The  young  one,  hearing  the  noise  of  the  guns, 
ran  to  his  mother  and  clung  to  her,  hiding  his  face  and 
embracing  her  body.  The  hunters  immediately  rushed 
toward  the  two,  hallooing  with  joy.  How  much  I  wish- 
ed that  I  had  been  with  them,  and  been  so  fortunate  as 
to  assist  in  the  capture  of  a  live  gorilla ! 

Their  shouts  roused  the  little  one,  who,  by  this  time, 
was  covered  with  blood  coming  from  his  mother's  wounds. 
He  instantly  let  go  of  his  mother  and  ran  to  a  small  tree, 
which  he  climbed  with  great  agility.  There  he  sat,  and 
roared  at  them  savagely.  They  were  now  perplexed 
how  to  get  at  him.  What  was  to  be  done  ?  No  one 


WE  CAPTURE  A    YOUNG  GORILLA.  195 

cared  to  run  the  chance  of  being  bitten  by  this  savage 
little  beast.  They  did  not  want  to  shoot  him,  for  they 
knew  I  should  never  forgive  them  for  doing  so.  He 
would  not  come  down  the  tree,  and  they  did  not  care  to 
climb  it  after  him.  At  last  they  cut  down  the  tree,  and., 
as  it  fell,  they  dexterously  threw  a  cloth  over  the  head 
of  the  young  monster,  and  thus  gained  time  to  secure  it 
while  it  was  blinded.  With  all  these  precautions,  one  of 
the  men  received  a  severe  bite  on  the  hand,  and  another 
had  a  piece  taken  out  of  his  leg. 

The  little  brute,  though  very  diminutive,  and  the 
merest  baby  in  age,  was  astonishingly  strong,  and  by  no 
means  good  tempered.  They  found  they  could  not  lead 
him.  He  constantly  rushed  at  them,  showing  light,  and 
manifesting  a  strong  desire  to  take  a  piece,  or  several 
pieces,  out  of  every  one  of  their  legs,  which  were  his  spe* 
cial  objects  of  attack.  So  they  were  obliged  to  get  a 
forked  stick,  in  which  his  neck  was  inserted  in  such  a 
way  that  he  could  not  escape,  and  yet  could  be  kept  at  a 
safe  distance.  It  must  have  been  very  uncomfortable  for 
him,  but  it  was  the  only  way  of  securing  themselves 
against  his  nails  and  teeth,  and  thus  he  was  brought  to 
Washington. 

The  excitement  in  the  village  was  intense  as  the  ani- 
mal was  lifted  out  of  the  canoe  in  which  he  had  come 
down  the  river.  He  roared  and  bellowed,  and  looked 
around  wildly,  with  his  wicked  little  eyes,  giving  fair 
warning  that  if  he  could  get  at  any  of  us  he  would  take 
his  revenge.  Of  course,  no  one  came  in  his  way. 

I  saw  that  the  stick  hurt  his  neck,  and  immediately  set 
about  having  a  cage  made  for  him.  In  two  hours  we 
had  built  a  strong  bamboo  house,  with  the  slats  securely 


196  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

tied  at  such  a  distance  apart  that  we  could  see  the  goril. 
la,  and  it  could  see  out.  We  made  it  as  strong  as  \v« 
could,  and  I  was  very  careful  to  provide  against  every 
chance  of  his  escaping.  In  this  cage  he  was  immediatel} 
deposited ;  and  now,  for  the  first  time,  I  had  a  fair  chance1 
to  look  at  my  prize. 

As  I  approached  the  'cage  he  darted  at  me ;  but  I  could 
afford  to  have  a  good  laugh  over  him,  for  I  knew  he  could 
not  get  near  enough  to  bite  me.  He  looked  at  me  with 
very  savage  eyes. 

I  named  the  gorilla  Joe — "  Fighting  Joe."  He  was  ev- 
idently not  three  years  old,  but  fully  able  to  walk  alone, 
and  possessed,  for  his  age,  very  extraordinary  strength. 
His  height  was  about  three  feet  and  six  inches.  Ilia 
hands  and  face  were  very  black,  his  eyes  were  sunken. 
The  hair  on  his  head  was  of  a  reddish-brown  color.  It 
began  just  at  the  eyebrows,  and  came  down  the  sides  of 
the  face  to  the  lower  jaw,  just  as  our  beards  grow.  The 
whiskers,  if  we  may  call  them  so,  were  of  a  blackish 
color.  The  face  was  smooth,  and  intensely  black.  The 
upper  lip  was  covered  with  short  coarse  hair;  I  wondered 
if  it  was  the  beginning  of  a  mustache.  I  found  after- 
ward that  gorillas  had  no  mustaches.  The  lower  lip  had 
longer  hair ;  and  I  wondered  also  if  in  time  an  imperial 
would  grow  there.  There  were  eyelashes  too,  though 
these  were  slight  and  thin.  The  eyebrows  were  straight. 

Excepting  the  face,  and  the  palms  of  his  hands  and 
feet,  his  whole  body  was  covered  with  hair.  On  the  back 
the  hair  was  of  an  iron-gray,  becoming  quite  dark  near 
the  arms.  On  the  arms  the  hair  was  longer  than  any 
where  else  on  the  body,  as  you  may  see  by  the  picture. 

After  I  had  looked  carefully  at  the  little  fellow,  and 


/  TRY  TO  TAME  HIM.  197 

knew  well  that  lie  was  safely  locked  in  his  cage,  I  ven- 
tured to  approach  him  to  say  a  few  encouraging  words, 
lie  stood  in  the  farthest  corner ;  but,  as  I  approached,  he 
bellowed,  and  made  a  precipitate  rush  at  me.  Though 
I  retreated  as  quickly  as  I  could,  he  succeeded  in  catch- 
ing my  trowsers'  legs  with  the  toes  of  one  of  his  feet, 
and  then  retreated  immediately  to  the  farthest  corner. 
This  taught  me  caution  ;  I  must  not  approach  too  near. 

Shall  I  be  able  to  tame  him  ?  I  thought  I  should ;  but 
I  was  disappointed. 

lie  sat  in  his  corner,  looking  wickedly  out  of  his  gray 
eyes ;  and  I  never  saw  a  more  morose  or  ill-tempered  face 
than  this  little  beast  had.  I  do  not  believe  that  gorillas 
ever  smile. 

Of  course  I  had  to  attend  to  the  wants  of  my  captive. 
My  first  business  in  the  morning  was  to  attend  on  Joe. 
I  sent  for  some  of  the  forest  berries  which  these  animals 
are  known  to  prefer,  and  placed  these  and  a  cup  of  water 
within  his  reach.  lie  was  exceedingly  shy,  and  would 
neither  eat  nor  drink  till  1  had  removed  to  a  considerable 
distance. 

The  second  day  I  found  Joe  fiercer  than  the  first.  lie 
rushed  savagely  at  any  one  wrho  stood  even  for  a  moment 
near  his  cage,  and  seemed  ready  to  tear  us  to  pieces.  A 
fine  specimen  of  man-monkey,  thought  I ;  a  tiger  under 
the  disguise  of  a  gorilla.  I  wondered  what  kind  of  a 
cage  a  full-grown  gorilla  would  require.  I  should  cer- 
tainly not  care  to  be  his  keeper. 

I  threw  Joe  pieces  of  pine-apple  leaves,  and  I  noticed 
that  he  ate  only  the  white  part.  There  seemed  to  be 
no  difficulty  about  his  food  as  long  as  it  was  gathered 
from  his  native  woods,  but  he  refused  all  other  kinda 


198  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

of  food.    He  was  very  fond  of  bananas  and  ripe  plan 
tains. 

The  third  day  Joe  was  still  more  morose  and  savage, 
bellowing  when  any  person  approached,  or  retiring  to  % 
distant  corner  to  make  a  rush  upon  them. 

On  the  fourth  day,  while  no  one  was  near,  the  little 
rascal  succeeded  in  forcing  apart  two  of  the  bamboo 
sticks  which  composed  his  cage,  and  made  his  escape.  I 
came  up  just  as  his  flight  was  discovered,  and  immedi- 
ately got  all  the  negroes  together  for  pursuit.  Where  had 
he  gone  I  I  was  determined  to  surround  the  wood  and 
recapture  him.  Running  into  my  house  to  get  one  of 
my  guns,  I  wras  startled  by  an  angry  growl  issuing  from 
under  my  low  bedstead.  It  was  Master  Joe ;  there  was 
no  mistake  about  it;  I  knew  his  growl  but  too  well. 
Master  Joe  lay  there  hid,  but  anxiously  watching  my 
movements.  I  cleared  out  faster  than  I  came  in.  I  in- 
stantly shut  the  windows,  and  called  to  my  people  to 
guard  the  door.  When  Joe  saw  the  crowd  of  black  faces 
he  became  furious ;  and  with  his  eyes  glaring,  and  every 
sign  of  rage  in  his  little  face  and  body,  he  got  out  from 
beneath  the  bed.  lie  was  about  to  make  a  rush  at  all 
of  us.  He  was  not  afraid.  A  stampede  of  my  men  took 
place.  I  shut  the  door  quickly,  and  left  Joe  master  of 
the  premises.  I  preferred  devising  some  plans  for  his 
easy  capture  to  exposing  myself  and  men  to  his  terrible 
teeth ;  for  the  little  rascal  could  bite  very  hard,  and  I  did 
not  care  to  have  a  piece  taken  out  of  one  of  my  legs. 

How  to  take  him  was  now  a  puzzling  question.  lie 
had  shown  such  strength  and  such  rage  already  that  I 
did  not  care,  and  none  of  my  men  seemed  to  care,  to  run 
the  chance  of  getting  badly  beaten,  in  a  hand-to-hand 


HIS  STRENGTH  AND  TEMPER.  199 

struggle,  in  which  we  were  pretty  sure  to  come  off  the 
worse.  Meantime,  peeping  through  the  keyhole,  I  saw 
Master  Joe  standing  still  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  look- 
ing about  for  his  enemies,  and  examining,  with  some  sur- 
prise, the  furniture.  He  seemed  to  think  that  he  had 
never  seen  such  things  before.  I  watched  with  fear,  lest 
the  ticking  of  my  clock  should  attract  his  attention,  and 
perhaps  lead  him  to  an  assault  upon  that  precious  article, 
indeed,  I  should  have  left  Joe  in  possession  but  for  a  fear 
that  he  would  destroy  the  many  little  articles  of  value  or 
curiosity  I  had  hung  about  the  walls,  and  which  reminded 
me  so  much  of  America. 

Finally,  seeing  Joe  to  be  quiet,  I  dispatched  some  fel- 
lows for  a  net ;  and,  opening  the  door  quickly,  I  threw 
tliis  over  his  head.  Fortunately,  we  succeeded  at  the 
first  throw  in  effectually  entangling  the  young  monster, 
who  roared  frightfully,  and  struck  and  kicked  in  every 
direction  under  the  net.  So  fearfully  was  he  excited 
that  I  thought  he  would  die  in  a  fit  of  rage.  I  took  hold 
of  the  back  of  his  neck ;  two  men  seized  his  arms,  and 
another  the  legs ;  and,  thus  held  by  four  men,  we  could 
hardly  manage  Joe. 

We  carried  him  as  quickly  as  we  could  to  the  cage, 
which  had  been  repaired,  and  then  once  more  locked  him 
in.  I  never  saw  such  a  furious  beast  in  my  life  as  he 
was.  lie  darted  at  every  one.  He  bit  the  bamboos  of 
his  cage.  He  glared  at  us  with  venomous  and  sullen 
eyes,  and  in  every  motion  showed  a  temper  thoroughly 
wicked  and  malicious. 

After  this  Joe  got  worse  than  ever ;  .and  as  good  treat- 
iiuMit  only  made  him  more  morose  and  savage,  T  tried 
what  starvation  would  do  toward  breaking  his  spirit. 


200          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

Besides,  it  began  to  be  troublesome  to  procure  his  food 
from  the  woods,  and  I  wanted  him  to  become  accustom- 
ed to  civilized  food,  which  was  placed  before  him.  But 
ho  would  touch  nothing  of  the  kind.  How  was  I  to 
bring  him  to  America?  I  could  not  put  an  African 
forest  on  board.  As  for  his  temper,  after  starving  liin, 
for  twenty-four  hours,  all  I  gained  was,  that  he  came 
slowly  up  and  took  some  berries  from  the  forest  out  of 
my  hand,  and  then  immediately  retreated  to  his  corner 
to  eat  them.  Daily  attentions  from  me,  for  a  fortnight 
more,  did  not  bring  me  any  farther  confidence  from  him 
than  this.  He  always  snarled  at  me,  and  only  when 
very  hungry  would  he  take  even  his  choicest  food  from 
my  hand. 

At  the  end  of  this  fortnight  I  came  one  day  to  feed 
him,  and  found  that  he  had  gnawed  a  bamboo  to  pieces 
slyly,  and  aj;ain  made  his  escape.  Luckily,  he  had  just 
gone,  for,  as  I  looked  around,  I  caught  a  sight  of  him 
making  off  on  all-fours,  and  with  great  speed,  across  the 
prairie  for  a  clump  of  trees. 

I  at  once  gave  the  alarm.  I  called  the  men  up,  and 
we  gave  chase,  taking  with  us  all  the  fishing-nets.  He 
saw  us,  and,  before  we  could  head  him  off,  made  for  an- 
other clump,  which  was  thicker  and  larger.  This  we 
surrounded.  He  did  not  ascend  a  tree,  but  stood  de- 
fiantly at  the  border  of  the  wood.  About  one  hundred 
and  fifty  of  us  surrounded  him.  As  we  moved  up  lie 
began  to  yell,  and  made  a  sudden  dash  upon  a  poor  fel- 
low who  was  in  advance.  The  fellow  ran,  and  tumbled 
down  in  affright.  By  his  fall  he  escaped  the  tender 
mercies  of  Joe's  teeth,  but  he  also  detained  the  little 
rascal  long  enough  for  the  nets  to  be  thrown  over  him. 


HIS  SUDDEN  DEATH.  201 

Four  of  us  bore  him  again  struggling  into  the  village. 
This  time  I  would  not  trust  him  to  the  cage,  but  fasten- 
ed a  small  chain  round  his  neck.  This  operation  he  re- 
sisted with  all  his  might,  and  it  took  us  quite  an  hour  to 
securely  chain  the  little  fellow,  whose  strength  was  some- 
thing marvelous. 

Ten  days  after  he  was  thus  chained  he  died  quite  sud 
denly.  He  had  been  in  good  health,  and  ate  plentif  nlly 
of  his  natural  food,  which  was  brought  every  day  from 
the  forest  for  him.  He  did  not  seem  to  sicken  until  two 
days  before  his  death.  He  died  in  some  pain.  To  the 
last  he  continued  utterly  untamable,  and  after  his  chain 
was  put  on  he  added  treachery  to  his  other  vices.  He 
would  come  sometimes  quite  readily  to  eat  out  of  my 
hand,  but  while  I  stood  by  him  would  suddenly — looking 
me  all  the  time  in  the  face  to  keep  my  attention — put 
out  his  foot  and  grasp  at  my  leg.  Several  times  he  tore 
my  pantaloons  in  this  manner.  A  quick  retreat  on  my 
part  saved  my  legs  from  farther  injury,  but  I  had  to  be 
very  careful  in  my  approaches.  The  negroes  could  not 
come  near  him  at  all  without  setting  him  in  a  rage.  He 
seemed  always  to  remember  that  they  captured  him,  and 
to  think  he  had  experienced  rather  too  hard  treatment  at 
their  hands ;  but  lie  evidently  always  cherished  toward 
me  also  a  feeling  of  revenge. 

After  he  was  chained  I  filled  a  half  barrel  with  hay 
and  set  it  near  him  for  his  bed.  He  recognized  its  use 
at  once,  and  it  was  pretty  to  see  him  shake  up  the  hay 
and  creep  into  this  nest  when  he  was  tired.  At  night 
he  always  shook  it  up,  and  then  took  some  hay  in  his 
hands,  with  which  he  would  cover  himself  when  he  was 


202     STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COl'.\Tli\. 

snug  in  his  barrel.  He  often  moaned,  for  his  mother 
perhaps,  at  night. 

After  Joe  died  I  stuffed  his  body,  and  brought  his  skin 
and  skeleton  to  New  York,  where  many  saw  it.  Around 
his  neck,  where  the  chain  had  been,  the  hair  was  worn 
off. 

Poor  Joe  !  I  wish  he  had  lived  and  become  tame,  so 
that  I  could  have  brought  him  home  with  me  to  show  to 
the  children. 

Now  Poor  Joe  can  be  seen  stuffed  in  the  British  Mu- 
seum. 


HIPPOPOTAMI  AT  HOME. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS. — A  DUEL. — SHOOTING  ON  THE  EIVER. 
NEARLY  UPSET. — A  NIGHT-HUNT  ON  LAND. MY  COM- 
PANION FIKES  AND  RUNS. — APPEARANCE  AND  HABITS  OF 
THE  HIPPOPOTAMUS. 

WHAT  have  we  yonder  in  the  water  ?  A  flock  of  hip- 
popotami !  Their  bodies  look  for  all  the  world  like  so 
many  old  weather-beaten  logs  stranded  on  a  mud-bank 
or  a  sand-bar. 

Every  thing  was  still.  The  sim  was  very  hot,  and  all 
nature  seemed  to  repose.  I  was  concealed  on  the  banks 
of  the  river  under  a  very  shady  tree,  watching  them. 
Suddenly,  not  far  from  me,  two  huge  beasts  rose  as  by 
enchantment  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  rushed  to- 
ward each  other.  Their  vast  and  hideous  mouths  were 
opened  4o  their  utmost  capacity,  showing  their  huge 


204  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

crooked  tusks,  which  gave  their  mouths  a  savage  appear, 
ance.  Their  eyes  were  flaming  with  rage,  and  eacli  of 
them  put  forth  all  his  power  to  annihilate  the  other. 
They  seized  each  other  with  their  jaws ;  they  stabbed 
and  punched  with  their  strong  tusks,  lacerating  each  oth- 
er in  a  frightful  manner ;  they  advanced  and  retreated ; 
now  they  were  at  the  top  of  the  water,  and  now  they 
sank  down  to  the  bottom.  Their  blood  discolored  the 
river,  and  their  groans  or  grunts  of  rage  were  hideous  to 
listen  to.  They  showed  little  power  of  strategy,  but  rath- 
er a  piggish  obstinacy  in  maintaining  their  ground,  and 
a  frightful  savageness  of  demeanor.  The  combat  lasted 
an  hour.  It  was  a  grand  sight.  The  water  around  them 
was  sometimes  wThite  with  foam.  At  last  one  turned 
about  and  made  off,  leaving  the  other  victorious  and  mas- 
ter  of  the  field.  A  few  days  after  I  killed  a  hippopota- 
mus, and  its  thick  hide  was  lacerated  terribly.  Doubt- 
less it  was  one  of  the  beasts"!  had  seen  fighting. 

The  hippopotamus  is  found  in  most  of  the  rivers  of 
Africa  which  empty  themselves  into  the  Atlantic  or  In- 
dian Ocean,  but  in  none  but  the  Nile  of  those  which 
empty  themselves  into  the  Mediterranean ;  and  in  the 
Nile  it  is  only  met  far  up  the  river.  Many  as  there  were 
of  them  on  the  Fernand-Yaz,  they  were  more  numerous 
on  the  Ogobai. 

How  much  sport  I  have  had  with  them  1  How  often 
have  I  studied  their  habits !  And  now  I  must  give  you 
Borne  account  of  my  encounters  with  them. 

About  five  miles  above  my  little  settlement  at  "Wash- 
ington there  was  a  place  in  the  river  shallow  enough  for 
them  to  stand  and  play  around,  and  where  they  remained 
all  day  playing  in  the  deep  water,  sometimes  diving,  but 


HIPPOPOTAMI.  205 

for  the  most  part  standing  on  the  shallows,  with  only 
their  ugly  noses  or  heads  lifted  out  of  the  water. 

One  fine  morning  I  went  toward  them.  "We  approach- 
ed slowly  and  with  caution  to  within  thirty  yards  of  then? 
without  seeming  to  attract  the  slightest  attention  from 
the  sluggish  animals.  One  might  have  asked  himself 
"  Are  they  hippopotami  or  not  ?"  Stopping  there,  I  fired 
five  shots,  and,  so  far  as  I  could  see,  I  killed  three  hippo- 
potami. The  ear  is  one  of  the  most  vulnerable  spots, 
and  this  was  my  mark  every  time. 

The  first  shot  was  received  with  very  little  attention 
by  the  herd ;  but  the  struggles  of  the  dying  animal  I  had 
hit,  which  turned  over  several  times  and  finally  sank  to 
the  bottom,  seemed  to  rouse  the  others,  who  began  to 
plunge  about  and  dive  down  into  deep  water.  The  blood 
of  my  victims  discolored  the  water  all  around,  and  we 
could  not  see  whether  those  who  escaped  were  not  swim- 
ming for  us. 

Presently  the  canoe  received  a  violent  jar,  and,  looking 
overboard,  we  perceived  that  we  were  in  the  midst  of  the 
herd.  "  The  hippopotami  are  coming  upon  us !"  shouted 
the  men ;  "  they  are  going  to  attack  us !"  We  pulled  out 
of  the  way  as  fast  as  we  could,  none  of  us  being  anxious 
to  be  capsized.  It  would  have  been  a  comical  sight  to 
see  us  swimming  in  the  midst  of  a  flock  of  hippopotami, 
and  some  of  us,  perhaps,  raised  up  on  the  back  of  one  as 
he  came  to  the  surface,  or  lifted,  maybe,  with  his  two 
crooked  tusks  in  our  body. 

We  were  soon  out  of  the  way,  and,  looking  back  to 
see  where  were  the  animals  I  had  killed,  I  saw  nothing. 
They  had  sunk  to  the  bottom,  and  of  the  three  only  one 
•was  recovered.  It  was  found  two  days  afterward  on  a 


206  STORIES  OF  THE  C<  >i;i  I.I..\   COUNTRY, 

little  island  near  the  river's  mouth.  Seeing  this,  I  re< 
solved  never  to  shoot  hippopotami  while  they  are  in  the 
water,  for  I  did  not  want  to  kill  these  animals  for  noth- 
ing ;  I  wanted  their  skins  and  their  skeletons  to  enrich 
•)ur  museums. 

Some  time  after  Joe  had  died,  I  determined  to  go  on 
a  night  hunt  after  hippopotami.  These  animals  come 
ashore  by  night  to  feed. 

The  Fernand-Vaz  runs  for  many  miles  parallel  with 
the  sea-shore,  separated  from  the  sea  by  a  strip  of  sandy 
prairie.  On  this  prairie  the  hippopotamus  feeds,  lie  i> 
sometimes  called  the  sea-horse,  for  when  his  head  is  out 
of  the  water  it  looks  from  a  distance  exactly  like  the 
head  of  a  horse.  The  "  walk"  of  a  herd  is  easily  discern- 
ible. It  looks  very  much  like  a  regular  beaten  road,  only 
their  immense  footprints  showing  who  are  its  makers.  In 
their  track  no  grass  grows.  They  always  return  by  the 
same  path  they  go  out  on.  This  gives  the  hunter  a  great 
advantage. 

I  chose  a  moonlight  night,  and  paddled  up  to  the  vi- 
cinity of  one  of  these  "  walks."  There  Igala,  my  hunter, 
and  I  set  out  by  ourselves.  I  had  painted  my  face  with 
a  mixture  of  oil  and  soot,  which  is  a  prudent  measure  for 
a  white  hunter  in  Africa.  The  beasts  there  seem  to  have 
a  singularly  quick  eye  for  any  thing  white.  I  made  my- 
self look  exactly  like  Igala.  We  both  had  black  faces 
and  black  hands.  I  was  dressed  in  the  usual  dark  suit 
of  clothes  for  the  night ;  people  there  must  not  go  hunt- 
ing in  light-colored  garments.  We  chose  the  windward 
side  of  the  track,  for  the  hippopotamus  has  a  very  keen 
scent,  and  is  easily  alarmed  at  night,  feeling,  probably, 
that  on  land  his  sluggish  movements,  huge  bulk,  and  short 
legs  have  their  dis:ul vantages. 


DANGEROUS  SPORT.  207 

We  lay  down  under  shelter  of  a  bush  and  watched. 
As  yet,  none  of  the  animals  had  come  out  of  the  water. 
We  could  hear  them  in  the  distance  splashing  about  in 
the  water,  their  subdued  snort -like  roars  breaking  in 
upon  the  stillness  of  the  night  in  a  very  odd  way.  It 
was  the  only  noise  we  heard — no,  I  can  not  say  the  only 
noise,  for  the  musquitoes  were  busily  buzzing  around 
and  feeding  upon  us,  taking  advantage  apparently  of 
our  anxiety  to  keep  perfectly  quiet. 

The  moon  was  nearly  down,  and  the  watch  was  get- 
ting tedious,  when  I  was  startled  by  a  sudden  groan. 
Peering  into  the  distance,  I  saw  dimly  a  huge  animal 
looking  doubly  monstrous  in  the  uncertain  light.  It 
was  quietly  eating  grass,  which  it  seemed  to  nibble  off 
quite  close  to  the  ground. 

There  was  another  bush  between  us  and  our  prey,  and 
we  crawled  up  to  this  in  dead  silence.  Arrived  there, 
we  were  but  about  eight  yards  from  the  great  beast. 
How  terrible  he  looked !  The  negroes  who  hunt  the 
hippopotami  are  sometimes  killed  ;  I  thought  that  one 
of  us  might  be  killed  also.  The  animal,  if  only  wound- 
ed, turns  savagely  upon  his  assailants,  and  experience 
has  taught  the  negro  hunters  that  the  only  safe  way  to 
approach  him  is  from  behind.  He  can  not  turn  quick- 
ly, and  thus  the  hunter  has  a  chance  to  make  good  his 
escape.  This  time  we  could  not  get  into  a  very  favora- 
ble position ;  but  I  dtermined  to  have  my  shot  neverthe- 
less, eight  yards  being  a  safe  killing  distance,  even  with 
so  poor  a  light  as  we  had  at  this  time. 

We  watched  the  hippopotamus  intently,  looking  at 
each  other  as  if  to  say,  "  Are  yon  ready  ?"  We  then 
raised  our  guns  slowly.  Igala  and  I  both  took  aim 


208          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

lie  fired,  and,  without  waiting  to  see  the  result,  ran 
away  as  swiftly  as  a  good  pair  of  legs  could  carry  him. 
I  was  not  quite  ready,  but  fired  the  moment  after  him, 
and  before  I  could  get  ready  for  running  (in  which  I 
had  not  Igala's  practice)  I  saw  there  was  no  need  for  it. 
The  beast  tottered  for  a  moment,  and  fell  over  with  a 
booming  sound  dead. 

This  closed  our  night  sport,  as  none  of  the  herd  would 
come  this  way  while  their  companion  lay  there.  So  we 
returned  home.  Poor  Igala  remonstrated  with  me  for 
not  running  as  he  did.  It  appears  that  running  was 
considered  one  of  the  chief  accomplishments  of  the  hip- 
popotamus hunter.  Our  good  luck  created  great  joy  in 
the  village  where  meat  was  scarce.  The  men  went  out 
at  daylight  and  brought  the  flesh  home.  Basket  after 
basket  came  in,  and  as  each  one  arrived  all  shouted 
except  those  who  did  not  eat  the  hippopotamus.  It  is 
roonda  for  them.  Some  of  their  ancestry  had  a  long 
time  ago  given  birth  to  a  hippopotamus,  and  if  they  were 
to  eat  any,  more  births  of  hippopotami  would  conic  to 
them,  or  they  would  die.  These  shouted, "  I  wish  he  had 
killed  a  bullock  instead  of  a  hippopotamus." 

The  meat  does  not  taste  unlike  beef,  but  was  not  so 
red.  It  is  rather  coarse-grained,  and  in  the  case  of  this 
animal  it  was  not  fat.  It  makes  a  welcome  and  whole- 
some  dish.  I  tried  to  have  some  steaks ;  I  must  say  they 
were  rather  tough,  and  did  not  go  down  easily.  The 
broth  was  better,  and  I  enjoyed  it  very  much.  There 
was  something  novel  in  having  hippopotamus  soup. 

I  have  killed  a  good  many  hippopotami.  It  is  a  very 
clumsily  built,  unwieldy  animal,  remarkable  chiefly  for 
its  enormous  head,  whose  upper  jaw  seemed  to  be  mova- 


DESCRIPTION  OF  HIPPOPOTAMUS.  209 

ble,  like  the  crocodile's,  and  for  its  disproportionately 
short  legs.  The  male  is  much  larger  than  the  female ; 
indeed,  a  full-grown  male  sometimes  attains  the  bulk, 
though  not  the  height,  of  the  elephant.  In  the  larger 
specimens  the  belly  almost  sweeps  the  ground  as  they 
walk. 

The  feet  are  curiously  constructed  to  facilitate  walk- 
ing among  the  reeds  and  mud  of  the  river  bottom,  and 
swimming  with  ease.  The  hoof  is  •  divided  into  four 
short,  apparently  clumsy  and  unconnected  toes ;  and 
they  are  able,  by  this  breadth  of  foot,  to  walk  rapidly 
even  through  the  mud.  I  have  seen  them  make  quick 
progress,  when  alarmed,  in  water  so  deep  that  their  backs 
were  just  at  the  surface. 

The  color  of  the  skin  is  a  clayey  yellow,  assuming  a 
roseate  hue  under  the  belly.  In  the  grown  animal  the 
color  is  a  little  darker.  The  skin  of  an  adult  hippopota- 
mus is  from  one  and  a  half  to  two  inches  thick  on  the 
middle  of  the  back.  It  is  devoid  of  hair,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  few  short  bristly  hairs  in  the  tail,  and  a 
few  scattered  tufts,  of  four  or  five  hairs  each,  near  the 
muzzle. 

All  along  the  Fernand-Yaz  there  were  scattered  herds 
of  hippopotami,  and  I  used  to  watch  them  from  my 
house.  I  could  see  them  at  any  time  during  the  day. 
After  they  have  chosen  a  spot,  they  like  to  remain  there 
day  after  day,  and  month  after  month,  unless  they  are 
disturbed,  or  their  food  becomes  scarce.  These  animals 
consort  together  in  herds  of  from  two  to  thirty.  They 
choose  shallows  in  the  rivers,  where  the  depth  of  the 
water  allows  them  to  .have  their  whole  body  submerged 

when  standing.     There  they  remain  all  dav,  swimming 
14 


210          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILIA  COUNTRY. 

off  into  the  deep  places,  diving  for  their  grassy  food,  or 
gamboling  in  the  waves.  From  time  to  time  they  throw 
up  a  stream  of  water  two  or  three  feet  high.  This  i« 
done  witli  a  noise  like  blowing,  and  it  is  doubtless  an 
effort  to  get  breath.  It  is  pleasant  to  watch  a  herd  peace- 
fully enjoying  themselves,  particularly  when  they  hare 
two  or  three  young  ones  among  them.  Some  of  the  lit 
tie  fellows  look  very  small,  and  are  comically  awkward. 
They  chase  each  other  about  the  shoals  or  piay  about 
their  darns ;  and  1  have  often  seen  them  seated  on  the 
back  of  their  mother  in  the  water.  How  careful  their 
mothers  seemed  to  be  when  they  were  swimming  about, 
and  carrying  their  young  in  the  way  I  have  described. 
It  is  a  sight  worth  seeing ;  sometimes  the  whole  herd  of 
hippopotami  will  disappear  for  a  long  time  under  the 
water. 

They  prefer  parts  of  the  rivers  where  the  current  is 
not  very  swift,  and  are  therefore  to  be  found  in  all  the 
lakes  of  the  interior.  They  prefer  to  be  near  grass-fields. 
They  are  very  fond  of  a  particular  kind  of  coarse  grass 
which  grows  on  these  prairies,  and  will  travel  considera- 
ble distances  to  find  it.  They  always  return,  however, 
before  daylight.  Their  path  overland  is  very  direct. 
Neither  rocks,  nor  swamps,  nor  bushes  can  prove  formi- 
dable obstacles  to  a  water  beast  of  such  bulk.  I  have 
seen  their  path  lie  through  the  thickest  woods.  Unless 
much  pursued  and  harassed,  they  are  not  much  afraid  of 
man.  If  troubled  by  hunters  they  move  their  encamp- 
ment, or  go  into  countries  where  they  can  be  more  quiet. 

Some  of  their  favorite  grass  was  growing  on  a  little 
plain  at  the  back  of  my  house,  and  several  times  I  found 
hippopotami  tracks  not  more  than  fifty  yards  from  the 


HABITS  OF  HIPPOPOTAMUS.  211 

house.  They  had  not  feared  to  come  as  near  as  this ; 
though  probably,  if  the  wind  had  been  blowing  toward 
them,  they  would  have  avoided  the  place. 

They  always  choose  a  convenient  landing-place,  where 
the  bank  has  a  long  and  easy  incline.  This  landing-place 
they  use  till  they  have  eaten  up  all  the  provender  which 
can  be  found  in  that  vicinity.  Before  going  ashore,  they 
watch  for  an  hour,  and  sometimes  for  two  hours,  near  the 
landing,  remaining  very  quiet  themselves,  and  listening 
for  danger.  The  slightest  token  of  the  hunter's  presence, 
or  any  other  suspicious  appearances  on  such  occasions, 
will  send  them  away  for  that  night.  If  no  danger  ap- 
pears they  begin  to  wander  ashore  in  twos  or  threes.  I 
never  saw  more  than  three  of  a  herd  grazing  together ; 
and,  during  their  stay  ashore,  they  place  more  depend- 
ence on  their  ears  than  on  their  eyes.  I  have  watched 
them  closely  in  many  hunts,  and  I  am  sure  that  the  beast 
walks  along  with  his  eyes  nearly  shut. 

When  playing  in  the  water,  this  animal  makes  a  noise 
very  much  resembling  the  grunt  of  a  pig.  This  grunt 
it  utters  also  when  alarmed  by  the  approach  jf  man. 
When  enraged,  or  suddenly  disturbed, it  utters  a  kin'  i 
groan — a  hoarse  sound — which  can  be  heard  at  a  con- 
siderable distance.  They  are  quite  combative  among 
themselves,  as  you  have  seen  in  the  case  of  the 
have  described. 


CHAPTER  XXY. 

VISIT    OF    KING    QUENGUEZA. — I    PROMISE    TO    VISIT    HIM. — 

THE    KINDNESS    OF    THE    COMMI. THE    DRY    SEASON    OS 

THE    FERNAND-VAZ. PLENTY   OF   BIRDS   AND   FISHES. 

THE   MARABOUTS. THE   EAGLES. A  BAD   WOUND.  . 

ONE  fine  day,  as  I  was  quietly  seated  in  my  bam- 
boo house,  reading  over,  for  the  fiftieth  time,  the  letters 
of  the  dear  friends  who  had  not  forgotten  me,  and  WITU 
so  kind  as  to  remember  me  in  my  wandering  life  in  Af- 
rica, my  attention  was  suddenly  drawn  away  by  the 
singing  of  numerous  voices  coming  down  the  river. 
Soon  afterward  there  stood  before  me,  accompanied  by 
Ranpano,  a  tall,  venerable-looking,  and  slender  negro  of 
noble  but  savage  bearing;  he  was  evidently, I  thought, 
a  chief;  there  \vas  something  commanding  about  his 
countenance.  He  was  not  very  dark.  The  people  who 
came  with  him  showed  him  great  respect.  This  tall 
negro  was  Quengueza,  the  great  king  of  the  Rembo,  and 
the  sovereign  of  the  whole  up-river  country  of  the  Rem- 
bo and  Ovenga,  the  head  waters  of  the  Fernand-Yaz. 

He  came  down  in  considerable  state  in  three  canoes, 
with  three  of  his  favorite  wives,  and  about  one  hundred 
and  thirty  men. 

My  little  black  boy,  Macondai,  brought  him  a  chair, 
and  after  he  had  seated  himself  I  saluted  him,  according 
to  the  usual  custom,  by  saying  "  Mbolo."  After  a  fe\v 


VISIT  OF  KING  QUENGUEZA.  215 


seconds  ho  eaid  "Ai."  Then  lie  paused  a  little  while, 
and  said  'Mbolo,"  to  which  I  replied  "Ai."  This  is 
the  usual  mode  of  salutation  in  the  Commi  country,  the 
host  beginning  first. 

lie  looked  at  me  and  seemed  very  much  astonished. 
lie  said  he  expected  to  see  a  tall  and  stout  man.  He 
had  heard  of  me  as  a  great  hunter.  He  was  now  con- 
vinced, he  said,  that  I  must  have  a  brave  heart  to  hunt 
as  I  did. 

Fortunately,  Quengueza  and  I  could  talk  together,  the 
Commi  being  his  native  language. 

He  told  me  there  were  plenty  of  gorillas  and  nshiegos 
in  his  country,  and  that,  if  I  would  come,  I  should  have 
liberty  and  protection  to  hunt  and  do  what  I  pleased. 
No  one  would  hurt  my  people,  or  Ranpano's  people,  or 
myself,  or  any  body,  added  he,  with  emphasis,  that  should 
come  with  me. 

I  liked  the  old  king  at  first  sight,  but  1  little  guessed 
then  that  he  would  afterward  become  so  fond  of  me,  and 
that  I  should  love  him  so  much.  Yes,  I  shall  remember 
my  good  friend  Quengueza  as  long  as  I  live.  Though  he 
is  a  poor  heathen,  his  heart  was  full  of  love  for  me,  and 
he  possessed  many  manly  and  noble  qualities. 

I  was  so  much  pleased  with  King  Quengueza's  visit  • 
that  I  sent  the  kind-hearted  old  fellow  off  with  his  ca- 
noes full  of  presents  of  iron  bars,  brass  rods,  chests,  etc. ; 
and  I  gave  him  goods  on  trust  with  which  to  buy  me 
ebony.  He  promised  me  great  sport,  and  an  introduc- 
tion to  some  tribes  of  whom  these  Commi  men  of  the 
sea-shore  knew  nothing. 

To  do  him  greater  honor,  my  people  fired  a  salute  as 
he  started  off,  with  which  he  was  highly  delighted,  as  an 


216  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

African  is  sure  to  be  with  noise.  He  did  not  go  before 
making  me  promise  to  come  and  see  him  as  soon  as  the 
rainy  season  arrived. 

The  dry  season  was  now  setting  in.  It  was  the  first  I 
had  spent  in  the  Commi  country,  and  I  devoted  the  whole 
month  of  July  to  exploring  the  country  along  the  sea- 
shore, between  the  Fernand-Vaz  and  the  sea. 

There  was  quite  a  change.  The  birds,  which  were  so 
abundant  during  the  rainy  season,  had  taken  their  leave ; 
and  other  birds,  in  immense  numbers,  flocked  in  to  feed 
on  the  fish,  which  now  leave  the  sea-shore  and  the  bars 
of  the  river's  mouth,  and  ascend  the  river  to  spawn. 
Fish,  particularly  mullet,  were  so  abundant  in  the  river 
that  two  or  three  times,  when  I  took  my  evening  airing 
on  the  water  in  a  flat  upper-river  canoe,  enough  mullet 
would  leap  into  the  boat  to  furnish  me  a  breakfast  the 
next  day.  The  quantity  of  fish  in  the  shallow  water  was 
prodigious. 

The  breakers  on  the  shore,  never  very  light,  were  now 
frightful  to  see.  The  coast  was  rendered  inaccessible  by 
them  even  to  the  natives,  and  the  surf  increased  to  such 
a  degree,  even  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  that  it  was 
difficult,  and  often  impossible,  to  enter  with  a  canoe. 
Strong  winds  from  the  south  prevailed,  and,  though  the 
nky  was  constantly  overcast,  not  a  drop  of  rain  fell.  The 
thermometer  fell  sometimes  early  in  the  morning  to  64° 
of  Fahrenheit,  and  I  suffered  from  cold,  as  did  also  the 
poor  natives.  The  grass  on  the  prairie  was  dried  up  or 
burnt  over;  the  ponds  were  dried  up;  only  the  woods 
kept  their  resplendent  green. 

I  was  often  left  alone  in  that  great  prairie  with  my 
cook  and  my  little  boy  Macondai,  and  a  dear  little  1  ••  > v 


KINDNESS  OF  THE  COMML— BIRDS.  217 

he  was.  I  felt  perfectly  safe  among  the  good  Comrni.  I 
always  had  tried  to  do  right  with  them,  and  I  had  reap- 
ed my  reward.  They  loved  me,  and  any  one  who  should 
have  tried  to  injure  me  would  have  no  doubt  been  put 
to  death  or  exiled  from  the  country.  I  shall  always  re- 
member my  little  village  of  Washington  and  the  good 
Commi  people.  When  perchance  I  got  a  chill,  the 
whole  village  was  in  distress.  No  one  was  allowed  to 
talk  loud,  and  every  one  would  call  during  the  day,  and 
sit  by  me  with  a  sad  face  for  hours  without  saying  a 
word,  and,  when  they  went  away,  they  all  expressed  their 
sorrow  to  see  me  ill.  The  kind  women  would  bring  me 
wild  fruits,  or  cold  water  from  the  spring,  in  which  to 
bathe  my  burning  and  aching  head  ;  and  sometimes  tears 
would  drop  from  their  eyes  and  run  down  their  kind 
black  faces. 

At  this  season  the  negroes  leave  their  villages  and 
work  on  their  plantations.  The  women  gathered  the 
crop  of  ground-nuts  which  had  been  planted  the  preced- 
ing rainy  season,  while  the  men  cut  down  the  trees  for 
the  plantations  of  the  coming  year,  or  built  canoes,  or 
idled  about,  or  went  fishing.  Some  of  their  farms  are 
necessarily  at  some  distance  off.  The  sandy  prairie  is 
not  fit  to  cultivate,  being,  in  fact,  only  a  deposit  of  the 
sea,  which  must  have  taken  an  incalculable  period  of 
time  to  form. 

Birds  flocked  in  immense  numbers  on  the  prairies, 
whither  they  come  to  hatch  their  young ;  especially  later 
in  the  season,  when  the  ugly  marabouts,  from  whose 
tails  our  ladies  get  the  splendid  feathers  for  their  bon- 
nets, were  there  in  thousands ;  and  I  can  assure  you  they 
were  not  very  easy  to  approach.  I  believe  the  marabout 


218          STORIES  OF  TlIE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

is  the  ugliest  bird  I  ever  saw,  and  one  would  never  dream 
that  their  beautiful  feathers  are  found  only  under  tho 
tail,  and  can  hardly  be  seen  when  the  bird  is  alive. 

Pelicans  waded  on  the  river  banks  all  day  in  prodig- 
ious swarms,  and  gulped  down  the  luckless  fish  which 
came  in  their  way.  I  loved  to  see  them  swimming  about 
in  grave  silence,  and  every  now  and  then  giabbing  up  a. 
poor  fish  with  their  enormous  long  and  powerful  bills. 
If  not  hungry,  they  left  the  fish  in  their  huge  pouches, 
till  sometimes  three  or  four  pounds  of  reserved  food 
awaited  the  coming  of  their  appetite.  This  pouch,  you 
see,  performed  the  office  of  a  pocket,  where  boys,  when 
not  hungry,  keep  their  apples  in  reserve. 

On  the  sandy  islands  were  seen  now  and  then  flocks 
of  the  Ibis  religiosa,  the  sacred  Ibis  of  the  Egyptians. 
They  looked  exactly  like  those  that  are  found  mummi- 
fied, and  which  have  been  preserved  several  thousand 
years.  They  are  very  curious-looking  birds;  the  head 
and  neck  have  no  feathers.  I  have  tried  to  find  their 
nests,  but  never  succeeded. 

Ducks  of  various  kinds  built  their  nests  in  every  creek 
and  on  every  new  islet  that  appeared  with  the  receding 
waters.  Some  of  them  were  of  beautiful  plumage. 

Cranes,  too,  and  numerous  other  water-fowls  flocked  in, 
and  every  day  brought  with  it  new  birds.  They  came, 
by  some  strange  instinct,  from  far-distant  lands,  to  feed 
upon  the  vast  shoals  of  fish  which  literally  filled  the  river. 
I  wondered  if  many  of  these  birds  had  come  from  the 
Kile,  the  Niger,  the  Zambesi — from  the  interi  r  of  Africa 
where  no  one  had  ev  r  penetrated,  and  from  the  vast 
plains  of  South  Africa.  What  great  travelers  some  of 
these  birds  mu"'  be!  I  enviad  them,  and  often  wished 


THE  GYPOHIERAX  ANGOLENSIS.  219 

I  could  fly  away,  supported  by  their  wings.  What  coun- 
tries I  should  have  seen ! — what  curious  people  I  should 
have  looked  at ! — and  how  many  novel  things  I  should 
have  found  to  recount  to  you. 

•  Along  the  trees  bordering  the  river,  sometimes  perched 
on  their  highest  branches,  sometimes  hidden  in  the  midst 
of  them,  I  could  see  that  most  beautiful  eagle,  the  Gy 
pohierax  angolensis,  called  coungou  by  the  natives. 
This  eagle  is  of  a  wliite  and  black  color.  He  often 
watches  over  the  water.  How  quickly  his  keen  eyes  can 
see  through  it!  and  with  what  rapidity  he  darts  at  his 
prey  !  Then,  seizing  it  in  his  powerful  talons,  which  sink 
deep  into  it,  he  rises  into  the  air,  and  goes  where  he  can 
devour  it  undisturbed.  These  eagles  attack  large  fish. 
They  generally  make  them  blind,  and  then  gradually  suc- 
ceed in  getting  them  ashore,  though  it  is  hard  work  for 
them.  They  have  a  luxurious  time  on  the  Fernand-Vaz 
River  during  the  dry  season,  and  are  very  numerous. 
They  build  their  nests  on  the  tops  of  the  highest  trees, 
and  come  back  to  them  every  year.  These  nests  are  ex- 
actly like  those  you  have  seen,  only  larger.  They  keep 
very  busy  when  their  young  begin  to  eat.  The  male  and 
female  are  then  continually  fishing.  Strange  to  say, 
they  are  very  fond  of  the  palm-oil  nuts.  In  the  season 
when  these  are  ripe,  they  are  continually  seen  among  the 
palm-trees. 

No  wonder  these  eagles  grab  fish  so  easily,  they  have 
such  claws !  One  day,  as  one  passed  over  my  head,  I 
shot  him,  and,  thinking  that  he  was  quite  dead,  I  took  him 
up,  when  suddenly,  in  the  last  struggle  for  life,  his  talons 
got  into  my  hands.  I  could  have  dropped  down  from 
pain.  Kothing  could  have  taken  the  claws  away ;  one 


220  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

of  them  went  clear  through  my  hand,  and  I  shall  proba 
bly  keep  the  mark  of  it  all  my  life. 

On  the  sea-shore  I  sometimes  caught  a  bird  called  the 
Sula  capensis,  which  had  been  driven  ashore  by  the 
treacherous  waves  to  which  it  had  trusted  itself,  and 
could  not,  for  some  mysterious  reason,  get  away  again. 

Finally,  every  sand-bar  was  covered  with  gulls,  whose 
shrill  screams*  were  heard  from  morning  till  night,  as 
they  flew  about  greedily  after  their  linny  prey. 

It  was  a  splendid  opportunity  for  sportsmen,  and  1 
thought  of  some  of  my  friends.  As  for  myself,  I  took 
more  delight  in  studying  the  habits  of  the  birds  than  in 
killing  them,  and  I  assure  you  I  had  a  very  delightful 
time.  I  love  dearly  the  dry  season  in  Africa.  I  am  sure 
you  would  have  enjoyed  it  ijiiite  as  much  as  I  did,  if  you 
had  been  there  with  me. 


TttE   KING   RECEIVES  ME. 


CHAPTER  XXYI. 

ANOTHER  EXPEDITION  TO   LAKE   ANENGUE. DIFFICULT  PAS- 
SAGE   UP   THE    KIVER. THE    CROCODILES. KING    DAMA- 

GONDAI  AND  HIS  TROUBLES. 1  BUY   AN   MBUITI,  OR   IDOL. 

ONE  fine  morning  there  was  a  great  bustle  on  tlie  banks 
of  the  river  at  Washington,  where  two  canoes  were  load- 
ing. I  was  about  to  start  on  another  expedition.  I  called 
King  Rampano  and  his  people  together,  and  gave  them 
charge  of  my  property;  I  declared  that  if  any  thing 
was  stolen  during  my  absence  I  should  surely  punish  the 
thief. 

They  all  protested  that  I  need  not  even  lock  the  doors 
of  my  house ;  and  I  believed  them.  The  Biagano  people 
loved  me,  and  did  not  steal  from  me. 

Then  I  counted  my  ten  goats  in  their  presence,  and 
said  that  I  wanted  no  leopard  stories  told  me  when  1 


222  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

came  back.  At  this  they  shouted  and  laughed.  They 
declared  that  neither  they  nor  the  leopards  should  touch 
my  goats. 

I  counted  the  fowls,  and  told  them  I  wanted  no  snake 
stories  about  them.  Another  hearty  laugh,  and  they  all 
shouted  that  no  snakes  should  gobble  up  my  fowls.  These 
(natters  having  been  satisfactorily  arranged,  I  started  with 
«ny  canoes  and  a  well-armed  crew. 

I  was  bound  again  for  Lake  Anengue,  where  I  had  been 
a  few  months  before.  It  was  now  the  dry  season.  AVe 
had  armed  ourselves  well,  for  fear  we  might  be  interrupt- 
ed, as  some  people  came  up  this  way  to  make  plantations 
during  the  dry  season,  and  might  dispute  our  advance ;  I 
determined  to  let  no  man  bar  the  road  to  me. 

The  dry  season  was  at  its  height,  and  I  found  the 
Npoulounay  shallower  than  before.  There  was  about 
fifteen  feet  less  depth  of  water  in  the  Ogobai  during  the 
dry  season  than  there  was  in  the  rainy  season.  At  this 
time  the  river  was  covered  with  muddy  or  sandy  islands, 
many  of  which  were  left  dry.  The  muddy  islands  were. 
covered  with  reeds,  among  which  sported  the  flamingo,  a 
bird  not  seen  here  in  the  rainy  season. 

"We  pulled  hard  all  day,  and  slept  the  first  night  on  a 
sandy  island  ot  the  Ogobai  River,  under  our  imisquiti!- 
nets,  of  which  I  had  laid  in  a  store.  These  nets,  which 
the  natives  also  use,  are  made  of  grass  cloth,  which  comes 
from  the  far  interior,  and  does  very  well  outdoors,  where 
it  keeps  out  the  dew  as  well  as  the  musquitoes,  and  pro- 
tects the  sleeper  against  the  cold  winds  which  prevail. 

The  next  morning  when  I  awoke,  I  saw,  for  the  first 
time,  a  fog  in  this  part  of  Africa ;  it  was  very  thick,  but 
the  sun  drove  it  off.  I  sent  out  my  fishing-net,  and  in  a 


CROCODILES  ON  THE  ANENGUE.  223 

few  minutes  the  men  caught  fish  enough  for  supper  and 
breakfast. 

After  our  breakfast  of  fish  and  plantain,  we  paddled 
on  up  the  stream.  Though  we  had  seen  a  few  villages, 
we  had  not  met  a  single  canoe  on  the  water,  and  nothing 
human  except  a  corpse  that  came  down  the  river,  and 
ran  against  our  canoe.  It  was  probably  the  body  of  some 
poor  wretch  who  had  been  drowned  on  account  of  witch- 
craft. The  hands  and  feet  were  tied,  so  that  when  they 
threw  him  into  the  water  he  could  not  swim. 

Finally  we  entered  the  Anengue ;  but  this  river,  we 
found,  w^as  entirely  changed  since  May.  Then  it  was  a 
deep,  swift  stream.  Now  its  surface  was  dotted  with 
numberless  black  mud  islands,  on  which  swarmed  in- 
credible numbers  of  crocodiles.  We  actually  saw  many 
hundreds  of  these  disgusting  monsters  sunning  them- 
selves on  the  black  mud,  and  slipping  off  into  the  water 
to  feed.  I  never  saw  such  a  horrible  sight.  Many  were 
at  least  twenty  feet  long ;  and  when  they  opened  their 
frightful  mouths  they  seemed  capable  of  swallowing  our 
little  canoes  without  trouble.  I  wondered  what  would 
become  of  us  all  if,  perchance,  our  canoe  should  capsize. 

I  determined  to  have  a  shot  at  these  crocodiles,  which 
seemed  nowise  frightened  at  our  approach.  Making  my 
men  paddle  the  boat  quite  near  to  them,  I  singled  out  the 
biggest,  and  lodged  a  ball  in  his  body,  aiming  at  the  joints 
of  his  fore  legs,  where  the  thick  armor  is  defective.  He 
tumbled  over,  and  after  struggling  in  the  water  for  a  mo- 
ment, sank  into  the  mud.  His  companions  turned  their 
hideous  snaky  eyes  down  at  him  in  momentary  surprise, 
but  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  it,  and  dropped  back 
to  their  sluggish  comfort.  1  shot  another,  but  he  sank 


224          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

aisc,  and  as  my  men  did  not  like  to  ventilrc  into  tlio 
black  mud  after  them,  we  got  neither. 

As  we  ascended  the  stream  it  branched  off  in  several 
places,  and  became  gradually  narrower.  Crocodiles  wen- 
seen  every  where.  At  length  we  found  ourselves  pu>h- 
ing  laboriously  along  through  a  deep  crooked  ditch,  not 
more  than  two  yards  wide,  and  overhung  with  tall  reeds, 
on  which  a  great  number  of  birds  balanced  themselvi  .->, 
as  though  enjoying  our  dilemma.  We  found  this  time, 
to  my  surprise,  a  tremendous  current  running.  In  !May, 
the  water  of  the  lake  had  overflowed  its  shores,  and  its 
regular  outlets  had  therefore  no  great  pressure  upon 
them.  Now  this  outlet  was  choked  with  water,  which 
rushed  through  at  such  a  rate  that,  at  some  of  the  turns 
in  the  crooked  channel,  we  were  actually  swept  back  sev- 
eral times  before  we  could  make  our  way  ahead.  At  one 
point,  where  the  true  outlets  joined,  we  could  not  pass  till 
I  made  the  men  smoke  their  condouquai,  a  long  reed 
pipe,  which  seems  to  give  them  new  vigor;  I  also  pive 
them  a  sup  of  my  brandy.  This  done,  they  gave  a  great 
shout,  and  pushed  through,  and  in  an  hour  after  wo 
emerged  into  the  lake,  but  not  without  tremendous  ex- 
ertions. 

We  now  lay  on  our  paddles  and  gazed  about  us.  On 
one  side  the  lake  is  bounded  by  hills  which  come  close 
down  to  the  shore ;  on  the  other  side  the  hills  recede, 
and  between  them  and  the  water  lies  a  dreary  extent  of 
low  marsh,  covered  with  reeds.  Several  towns  were  in 
sight,  all  located  on  the  summits  of  hills. 

The  lake,  alas !  had  changed  with  the  season  too.  It 
was  still  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  but  all  over  its  placid 
face  the  dry  season  had  brought  out  an  eruption  of  those 


MY  RECEPTION  B  Y  THE  KING.  •>:>:, 

black  mud  islands  which  we  had  noticed  before,  and  on 
these  reposed  I  fear  to  say  what  number  of  crocodiles. 
Wherever  the  eye  was  turned,  these  disgusting  creatures, 
with  their  dull  leering  eyes  and  huge  savage  jaws,  ap- 
peared in  prodigious  numbers.  The  water  was  alive  with 
fis-h,  on  which  I  supposed  the  crocodiles  had  fat  living ; 
but  pelicans  and  herons,  ducks  and  other  water-birds  also 
abounded,  drawn  hither  by  the  abundance  of  their  prey. 

Paddling  carefully  past  great  numbers  of  crocodiles, 
into  whose  ready  jaws  I  was  by  no  means  anxious  to  fall, 
and  past  several  villages,  whose  people  looked  at  us  witn 
mute  amazement,  we  reached  at  last  the  town  of  Dama- 
gondai.  A  great  crowd  was  assembled  to  receive  us, 
]  leaded  by  the  king  himself,  who  stood  on  the  shore. 
Quarters  were  provided  for  me  by  his  majesty,  who,  a 
short  time  after  my  arrival,  presented  me  with  a  goat. 
He  was  dressed  in  the  usual  middle-cloth  of  the  natives, 
and  a  tarnished  scarlet  soldier's  coat,  but  was  innocent  of 
trowsers.  His  welcome,  however,  was  not  the  less  hearty 
because  the  pantaloons  were  absent. 

His  town,  which  contains  about  fifty  huts,  lies  on  some 
high  ground,  at  a  little  distance  from  the  water.  I  dis- 
tributed presents  among  the  graybeards,  and  beads 'among 
the  women,  and  thus  put  them  all  in  good-humor. 

Damagondai,  the  king,  then  insisted  that  I  must ,  get 
married  to  at  least  two  or  three  women.  He  was  amazed 
when  I  declined  this  flattering  proposal,  and  insisted 
upon  it  that  my  bachelor  life  must  be  very  lonely  and 
disagreeable. 

The  king  was  a  tall,  rather  slim  negro,  over  six  feet 
high,  and  well  shaped.  In  war  or  in  the  chase  he  had 
the  usual  amount  of  courage,  but  at  home  he  was  exceed- 
15 


226  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA   COU.\TRY. 

ingly  superstitious.  As  night  came  on  he  seemed  to  get 
a  dread  of  death,  and  at  last  began  to  groan  that  some  of 
the  people  wanted  to  bewitch  him,  in  order  to  get  his 
property  and  his  authority.  Finally  he  would  get  excit- 
ed, and  begin  to  curse  all  witches  and  sorcerers.  IIo 
••would  say  that  no  one  should  have  his  wives  and  slave:--, 
and  that  the  people  who  wanted  to  kill  him  had  better 
beware ;  the  inboundou  was  ready. 

Certainly  poor  Damagondai  must  have  slept  on  the 
wrong  side,  as  I  told  him  afterward,  for  the  old  fellow 
began  to  lecture  his  wives,  telling  them  to  love  him  ami 
feed  him  well,  for  he  had  given  a  great  deal  of  goods  and 
slaves  to  their  parents  for  them,  and  they  were  a  constant 
expense  to  him.  To  all  this  the  poor  women  listened 
with  respect. 

Damagondai  and  I  were  very  good  friends.  I  really 
don't  know  why,  but,  wherever  I  went,  these  negroes 
seem  to  take  a  liking  to  me. 

In  the  village  of  Damagondai  there  was  an  mbuiti, 
"  an  idol,"  representing  a  female  figure  with  copper  eyes, 
and  a  tongue  made  of  a  sharp,  sword-shaped  piece  of 
iron.  This  explained  her  chief  attribute;  she  cuts  to 
pieces  those  with  whom  she  is  displeased.  She  wan 
dressed  in  the  Shekiani  cloth,  covering  her  from  the 
neck  down.  She  is  said  to  speak,  to  walk,  to  foretell 
events,  and  to  take  vengeance  on  her  enemies.  Her 
house  is  the  most  prominent  one  in  the  whole  village. 
She  comes  to  people  by  night,  and  tells  them  in  their 
sleep  what  is  going  to  happen.  In  this  way,  they  assert- 
ed, my  coming  had  been  foretold.  They  worship  her  by 
dancing  around  her  and  singing  her  praises,  and  their  re- 
quests. Sometimes  a  single  woman  or  man  comes  alone 


I  BUY  AN  MB UITI.  227 

to  prefer  a  request ;  and  one  evening  I  saw  the  whole 
village  engaged  in  this  rite,  all  dancing  and  singing 
around  her.  They  offer  her  sugar-cane  and  other  food, 
which  they  believe  she  eats. 

I  tried  to  buy  this  goddess,  but,  ugly  as  she  was,  Dama- 
gondai  said  that  no  amount  of  money  would  purchase 
her.  He  insinuated,  however,  in  a  very  slight  way,  that 
for  a  proper  price  I  might  obtain  the  mbuiti  of  the 
slaves.  Then  a  great  council  took  place  with  the  gray- 
beards  of  the  village.  The  slaves  were  on  the  planta- 
tions. They  agreed  to  tell  them  on  their  return  that  they 
had  seen  their  mbuiti  walk  off  in  the  woods,  and  that  she 
had  not  returned.  I  could  hear  them  laugh  over  what 
they  thought  to  be  their  clever  plot. 

I  paid  them  a  good  price  for  it.  I  packed  the  mbuiti 
up,  and  took  her  off  with  me,  and  her  portrait,  an  exact 
likeness,  taken  in  New  York  from  the  idol  itself,  is  found 
in  my  book  called  "  Equatorial  Africa." 

I  have  often  thought  since  how  much  I  should  have 
enjoyed  seeing  the  return  of  the  slaves  to  the  village.  I 
should  like  to  know  if  they  really  believed  that  their 
mbuiti  had  left  them ;  if  so,  there  must  have  been  great 
wailing  and  mourning  for  fear  that  the  wrath  of  the 
mbuiti  would  come  upon  them. 


A  OROCOTin.E  HUNT. 


CHAPTER  XXYII. 

A.  VISIT  TO  KING    SHIMBOUVENEGANI. — HIS    ROYAL  COSTOIE, 

HUNTING   CROCODILES. — HOW  THEY  SEIZE    THEIR   1'KKY 

THE   NKAGO. THE   OGATA. 

I  RESOLVED  to  embark  again  on  the  -waters  of  the 
Anengue  Lake,  and  make  a  little  journey  of  exploration. 
Damagondai  went  in  the  canoe  with  me.  lie  was  to 
take  me  to  another  king,  a  friend  of  his. 

We  reached  the  residence  of  King  Shimbouvenegani, 
a  king  with  a  long  name  and  a  small  village.  We  haft 
to  paddle  through  very  shallow  water  before  reaching 
this  place. 

When  we  arrived,  the  king  with  the  long  name  was 
not  at  his  village.  We  were  told  he  was  at  his  oldko — 
a  place  temporarily  erected  in  the  woods  when  villagers 
go  out  to  limit,  or  fish,  or  pursue  agriculture. 


KING  SHIMBOUVENEGANI.— UIS  COSTUME.      229 

They  had  chosen  a  charming  spot  in  the  woods,  just 
upon  the  shores  of  the  lake,  which  here  had  abrupt 
banks.  The  musquito  nets  were  hung  up  under  the 
*rees ;  every  family  had  a  fire  built,  and  from  the  pots 
came  the  fragrant  smell  of  plantain  and  fish  cooking. 
The  savor  was  very  pleasant  to  me,  for  I  was  hungry. 

Presently  Shimbouvenegani  came  up.  lie  was  re- 
joiced to  see  me,  and  thanked  his  friend  Damagondai  for 
bringing  his  white  man  to  visit  him. 

The  appearance  of  Shimbouvenegani  was  comical. 
lie  was  between  sixty  and  seventy  years  of  age,  and  was 
quite  lean.  His  only  garment  was  a  very  dirty  swallow- 
tailed  coat,  which  certainly  must  have  belonged  to  the 
time  of  my  grandfather.  The  buttons  were  all  gone. 
On  his  head  he  wore  a  broad  beaver  hat,  which  dated 
nearly  as  far  back  as  the  coat  itself.  The  fur  was  en- 
tirely worn  off,  and  the  hat  had  a  very  seedy  appearance, 
But  the  king  seemed  very  proud  when  he  made  his  ap- 
pearance. He  thought  his  costume  was  just  the  thing, 
and  he  looked  around,  as  if  to  say, "  Am  I  not  a  fine- 
looking  fellow  ?"  And  truly,  though  his  dress  did  not 
amount  to  much  according  to  our  notions,  I  doubt  not  it 
had  cost  him  several  slaves. 

He  asked  me  howr  I  liked  his  costume,  at  the  same 
time  taking  one  of  the  smaller  tails  in  his  hand  and 
shaking  it. 

Presently  some  large  pots  of  palm  wine  were  brought, 
with  which  all  hands  proceeded  to  celebrate  my  arrival. 
Damagondai  and  Shimbouvenegani  soon  got  drunk,  and 
swore  to  each  other  eternal  friendship,  and  Shimbouveii- 
egani  promised  to  give  one  of  his  daughters  in  mar« 
riage  to  Damagondai. 


230  STORfES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

Meantime  Damagondai  had  presented  me  to  his  eldest 
son,  Okabi,  who  resided  in  the  village  of  Shimbouvene- 
gani.  Okabi  arranged  a  nice  little  place  for  me,  with 
branches  of  trees,  and  made  a  kind  of  bed  for  me.  He 
then  gave  me  his  two  wives  to  take  care  of  me,  and  tc 
cook  for  me. 

I  had  a  very  agreeable  time  in  hunting  while  I  w;is 
with  Shimbouvenegani.  It  was  during  my  stay  there 
that  I  discovered  the  nshiego  mbouve,  of  which  I  will 
speak  by-and-by. 

We  also  had  a  great  crocodile  hunt,  which  pleased  the 
people  very  much,  as  they  are  extravagantly  fond  of  the 
meat.  Now  ana  then,  during  my  travels,  for  lack  of 
something  better,  I  have  been  obliged  to  eat  crocodiles. 
I  have  tried  it  in  all  sorts  of  ways — steaks,  stews,  boik'd, 
and  broth,  but  I  must  say  I  was  never  fond  of  it. 

They  killed  more  or  fewer  crocodiles  every  day  at  this 
village,  but  the  negroes  were  so  lazy  that  they  were  glud 
to  have  me  go  and  save  them  the  trouble.  Moreover. 
the  crocodile  has  not  much  meat  on  him ;  so  that,  though 
some  were  killed  every  day,  the  village  was  never  suffi- 
ciently supplied. 

We  went  in  canoes.  These  canoes  on  the  Anengue 
are  of  very  singular  construction.  They  are  quite  Hat- 
bottomed  and  of  very  light  draught ;  many  of  them  are 
about  fifty  feet  long,  with  a  breadth  of  not  more  than 
two  feet,  and  a  depth  of  ten  or  twelve  inches.  They  are 
made  of  a  single  tree.  They  are  ticklish  craft.  The 
oarsmen  stand  up,  and  use  paddles  seven  feet  long,  with 
which  they  can  propel  one  of  these  canoes  at  a  very  good 
rate.  They  are,  of  course,  easily  capsi;;cd,  the  gunwale 
being  but  a  very  few  inches  above  the  water;  but  they 


CROCODILE  HUNTING.  231 

do  not  often  tip  over.  "What  surprised  me  most  was  the 
way  in  which  the  negro  paddlers  stood  up  at  their  work 
all  day  without  tiring. 

The  negroes  011  the  Anengue  hunt  the  crocodile  both 

O  C3 

with  guns  and  with  a  kind  of  harpoon.  The  vulnerable 
part  of  the  animal  is  near  the  joints  of  his  fore  legs,  and 
there  they  endeavor  to  wound  it.  Though  so  many  are 
killed  they  do  not  decrease  in  numbers,  nor,  strange  to 
say,  do  they  seem  to  grow  more  wary.  They  were  to  be 
seen  every  where  during  the  dry  season ;  when  the  rainy 
season  comes  they  disappear. 

As  we  started  out,  we  saw  them  swimming  in  all  di- 
rections, and  lying  on  the  mud  banks  sunning  themselves. 
They  took  no  notice  of  our  canoe  at  all.  As  we  were  to 
shoot  them  we  were  obliged  to  look  for  our  prizes  on  the 
shore,  for  if  killed  in  the  water  they  sink  and  are  lost. 
Presently  we  saw  one  immense  fellow  extended  on  the 
bank  among  some  reeds.  We  approached  cautiously. 
I  took  good  aim  and  knocked  him  over.  He  struggled 
hard  to  get  to  the  water,  but  his  strength  gave  out  ere  he 
could  reach  it,  and,  to  our  great  joy,  he  expired.  We 
could  not  think  of  taking  his  body  into  our  canoe,  for  he 
was  nearly  twenty  feet  long. 

We  killed  another  which  measured  eighteen  feet.  I 
never  saw  more  savage-looking  jaws ;  they  wrere  armed 
with  most  formidable  rows  of  teeth,  and  looked  as  though 
a  man  would  scarcely  be  a  mouthful  for  them. 

We  had  brought  another  canoe  along,  and,  capsizing 
this  upon  the  shore,  we  rolled  the  dead  monsters  into  it, 
and  paddled  off  for  the  village.  Then  we  returned  to 
the  olako. 

During  the  heat  of  the  day  these  animals  retire  to  the 


232          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

reeds,  where  they  lie  sheltered.  In  the  morning,  and 
late  in  the  afternoon,  they  come  forth  to  seek  their  prey. 
They  swim  very  silently,  and  scarcely  make  even  a  rip- 
ple on  the  water,  though  they  move  along  quite  rapidly. 
The  motion  of  their  paws  in  swimming  is  like  those  of  a 
dog,  over  and  over.  They  can  remain  quite  still  on  the 
top  of  the  water,  where  they  may  be  seen  watching  for 
prey  with  their  dull,  wicked-looking  eyes.  When  they 
are  swimming  the  head  is  the  only  part  of  the  body  vis- 
ible ;  and  when  they  are  still,  it  looks  exactly  like  an  old 
piece  of  wood  which  has  remained  long  in  the  water,  and 
is  tossing  to  and  fro.  They  sleep  among  the  reeds.  Their 
eggs  they  lay  in  the  sand  on  the  island,  and  cover  them 
over  with  a  layer  of  sand.  It  is  the  great  abundance  of 
fish  in  the  lake  which  makes  them  multiply  so  fast  as 
they  do.  The  negroes  seemed  rather  indifferent  to  their 
presence. 

On  my  journey  back  to  Damagondai's  I  saw  an  exam- 
ple of  the  manner  in  which  the  crocodile  seizes  upon  his 
prey.  As  we  were  paddling  along  1  perceived  in  the 
distance  ahead  a  beautiful  gazelle,  looking  meditatively 
into  the  waters  of  the  lagoon,  of  which  from  time  to  time 
it  took  a  drink.  I  stood  up  to  get  a  shot,  and  we  ap- 
proached with  the  utmost  silence,  but  just  as  I  raised  my 
gun  to  fire  a  crocodile  leaped  out  of  the  water,  and,  like 
a  flash,  dived  back  again,  with  the  struggling  animal  in 
its  powerful  jaws.  So  quickly  did  the  beast  take  its  prey 
that,  though  I  fired  at  him,  I  was  too  late.  I  do  not  think 
my  bullet  hit  him. 

After  hunting  on  the  water  I  thought  I  would  have 
a  few  rambles  in  the  forest  near  the  olako.  I  killed  a 
beautiful  monkey,  which  the  natives  call  nkago,  whose 


THE  OGATA.— MODE  OF  ITS  CAPTURE.  233 

head  is  crowned  with  a  cap  of  bright  red,  or  rather  brown 
hair.  The  nkagos  are  very  numerous  in  these  woods. 

While  walking  in  the  forest  I  found,  near  the  water, 
the  hole  or  burrow  of  an  ogata.  This  is  a  species  of  cay- 
man, which  lives  near  the  pools,  and  makes  a  long  hole  in 
the  ground,  with  two  entrances.  In  this  hole  it  sleeps 
and  watches  for  its  prey.  The  ogata  is  very  unlike  the 
crocodile  in  its  habits.  It  is  a  night-roving  animal,  and 
solitary  in  its  ways.  It  scrapes  out  its  hole  with  its  paws 
witli  considerable  labor.  It  lives  near  a  pool,  for  the 
double  reason,  I  imagine,  that  it  may  bathe,  and  because 
thither  come  gazelles  and  other  animals,  for  whom  it  lies 
in  wrait.  The  negroes  told  me  that  they  rush  out  with 
great  speed  upon  any  wandering  animal,  and  drag  it  into 
the  hole  to  eat  it.  When  the  negroes  discover  one  of 
these  holes  they  come  with  their  guns,  which  are  gener- 
ally loaded  with  iron  spikes,  and  watch  at  one  end,  while 
a  fire  is  built  at  the  other  entrance.  When  it  becomes 
too  hot,  the  ogata  rushes  out  and  is  shot.  I  killed  one, 
which  proved  to  be  seven  feet  in  length.  It  had  great 
strength  in  its  jaws,  and  its  teeth  were  very  formidable. 
Like  the  crocodile,  its  upper  jaw  is  articulated,  and  is 
raised  when  the  mouth  is  opened. 

Sometimes  fire  is  put  at  both  ends  of  the  hole,  and  the 
animal  is  smoked  to  death.  At  other  times  a  trap  is 
made  at  the  end  where  there  is  no  fire,  and  when  the 
ogata  rushes  out  it  is  ensnared. 


TKK  N6HTEGO  MBOUVfc, 


CHAPTER  XXYIH. 

THE  NSHIEGO  MBOTTVE. BALD-HEADED  APES. THEIR  HOUSES 

IN  THE  TREES. LYING  IN  WAIT   FOR  THEM. WE  KILL  A 

MALE. THE  SHRIEKS  OF  HIS  MATE. DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 

ANIMAL. FAREWELL  TO  SHIMBOUVENEGANI. 

As  I  was  trudging  along  one  day  in  the  woods,  rather 
tired  of  the  sport,  and  on  the  point  of  going  back  to  the 
camp,  I  happened  to  look  up  at  a  high  tree  which  we 
were  passing,  and  saw  a  most  singular  shelter  or  home 
built  in  its  branches.  I  immediately  stopped  and  asked 
Okabi  why  the  hunters  slept  in  that  way  in  the  woods. 
Okabi  laughed,  after  looking  at  me  quizzically,  and  then 
he  told  me  that  »o  man  had  ever  built  that  shelter.  He 


THE  NSHIEGO  MBOUVE.  235 

said  that  it  was  made  by  a  kind  of  man  of  the  woods, 
called  nshiego  mbouve',  an  animal  which  had  no  hair  on 
the  top  of  its  head.  I  really  thought  Okabi  was  joking. 
An  animal — a  man-monkey — with  no  hair  on  the  top  of 
his  head  \ — a  bald-headed  ape  ?  It  was  now  my  turn  to 
laugh,  for  I  did  not  believe  Okabi's  story  about  the  bald- 
headed  animal,  though  I  believed  what  he  said  about  the 
shelter  in  the  tree. 

I  saw  at  once  that  I  was  on  the  trail  of  an  animal 
which  no  civilized  man  had  ever  seen  before.  I  no  lon- 
ger felt  tired,  but  pushed  on  through  the  woods  with  re- 
moved ardor  and  with  increased  caution,  so  as  not  to 
alarm  our  prey.  The  shelter  we  had  seen  was  an  old 
one,  which  had  been  abandoned,  but  we  had  a  hope  of 
finding  another  which  should  be  still  occupied. 

We  were  not  disappointed.  We  soon  found  two  more 
shelters.  They  were  about  twenty  feet  from  the  ground, 
and  were  on  two  trees  which  stood  a  little  apart  from  the 
others,  and  which  had  no  limbs  below  the  one  on  which 
the  nests  were  placed.  This  location  for  its  house  is 
probably  chosen  by  the  animals  to  secure  them  at  night 
from  beasts  and  serpents,  and  from  the  falling  limbs  of 
surrounding  trees.  They  build  only  in  the  loneliest  part 
of  the  forest.  They  are  very  shy,  and  are  seldom  seen, 
even  by  the  negroes. 

Okabi,  who  was  an  old  and  intelligent  hunter,  told  me 
that  the  male  and  female  together  select  the  material  for 
their  nest  or  shelter.  It  is  constructed  in  part  of  the 
branches  of  the  tree  itself,  which  they  twist  in  with  the 
boughs  of  other  trees  collected  by  them  for  the  purpose. 
The  shelters  I  saw  had  the  shape  of  an  umbrella. 

We  concealed  ourselves  by  lying  flat  on  the  ground 


236          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

amid  the  bushes  near  by,  and  keeping  perfectly  still.  My 
patience  was  sorely  tried.  Musquitoes  and  flies  were 
continually  biting  me.  Ants  now  and  then  were  creep- 
ing upon  me,  and  some  of  them  managed  to  get  under 
my  clothes.  Besides,  I  had  some  fear  of  the  Bashikouay, 
•>r  of  the  white  ants,  coming  to  disturb  me,  or  of  snakes 
creeping  upon  me.  So,  as  you  may  imagine,  I  was  not 
comfortable,  neither  had  I  pleasant  thoughts. 

At  length,  just  at  dusk,  we  heard  the  loud  peculiar 
"  hew,  hew,  hew,"  which  is  the  call  of  the  male  to  his 
mate.  I  was  glad  to  know  I  had  not  waited  in  vain ; 
and,  looking  up,  I  saw  a  nshiego  mbouve*  sitting  under 
his  nest.  His  feet  rested  on  the  lowrer  branch ;  his  head 
reached  quite  into  the  little  dome  of  a  roof;  and  his  arm 
was  clasped  firmly  about  the  tree  trunk.  This,  1  siijv 
pose,  is  the  position  in  which  they  sleep.  Soou  after  his 
mate  came  and  ascended  the  tree. 

After  gazing  till  I  was  tired,  I  saw  that  one  of  the  an- 
imals showed  signs  of  being  alarmed.  Had  they  smelt 
us?  had  we  made  a  noise  that  excited  their  suspicions? 
Anyhow,  we  raised  our  guns  and  fired  through  the  gloom 
at  the  one  that  seemed  asleep.  I  almost  felt  sorry  for 
the  unfortunate  beast,  wrhich  fell  with  a  tremendous 
crash,  and  died  without  a  struggle.  The  other  uttered 
an  awful  shriek,  and  came  down  the  tree  with  the  utim  >st 
rapidity.  I  fired,  but  missed  the  animal,  and  in  less  time 
than  I  take  to  write  it  the  poor  creature  had  disappeared 
in  the  woods. 

I  was  very  hungry,  for  I  had  eaten  nothing  since  break- 
fast. We  built  a  fire  at  once,  and  made  our  camp.  Then 
we  built  several  more  fires,  to  prevent  an  attack  of  the 
Bashikouay  ants,  in  case  they  should  come  that  way. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  NSH1EGO  BOUVE.       237 

The  poor  ape  was  hung  up  to  a  limb  out  of  reach.  Dur- 
ing the  night  I  could  hear,  now  and  then,  in  the  distancev 
the  piercing  shriek  of  its  mate,  which  no  doubt  was  call' 
ing  for  the  absent  one.  At  last  I  fell  asleep  on  my  bed 
of  leaves  and  grass,  as  pleased  a  man,  perhaps,  as  any  in 
the  world. 

The  next  morning  I  examined  the  nshiego  mbouve. 
Okabi,  pointing  to  the  head,  triumphantly  exclaimed, 
"  See,  Chaillie,  is  not  the  animal  bald-headed  ?  Did  I 
not  tell  you  the  truth  ?"  So  it  was.  The  nshiego  was 
quite  bald;  not  a  hair  could  be  seen  on  the  top  of  his 
head.  He  was  a  full-grown  specimen,  and  measured 
three  feet  and  eleven  inches  in  height.  His  color  was 
intensely  black,  and  the  body  was  covered  with  short, 
rather  blackish  hair.  On  the  legs  the  hair  was  of  a  dirty 
gray,  mixed  with  black.  On  the  shoulders  and  back  the 
hair  grew  two  or  three  inches  long.  This  animal  was 
old,  and  his  hair  was  a  little  mixed  with  gray,,  The  arms 
also,  down  to  the  wrists,  were  covered  with  long  black 
hair.  The  hair  is  much  thinner  than  on  the  gorilla,  and 
is  blacker,  longer,  and  glossier.  The  nose,  also,  is  not  so 
prominent.  Though  only  three  feet  and  eleven  inches  in 
height,  the  animal  had  an  extremely  broad  chest,  though 
not  so  powerful  as  that  of  the  gorilla.  The  fingers,  also, 
were  much  longer,  and  not  large ;  and  the  hand  was 
longer  than  the  foot ;  while  the  gorilla,  like  man,  has  the 
foot  longer  than  the  hand. 

Some  of  the  teeth  were  decayed ;  so  the  poor  fellow 
must  have  had  the  toothache  badly ;  and  I  suppose  there 
were  no  dentists  among  the  nshiego  mbouvds.  I  have 
killed  several  of  these  animals.  One  of  them  was  a  very 
old  one ;  he  had  silvery  hair ;  nearly  all  his  teeth  were  de- 


238  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

caved,  and  some  were  missing,  which  had  dropped  out 
with  age.  He  was  getting  so  infirm  that  lie  had  not 
strength  enough  to  pick  berries  or  break  nuts ;  and,  when 
killed,  he  had  only  leaves  in  his  stomach. 

After  enjoying  myself  thoroughly  at  the  olako  of 
Shimbouvenegani,  we  returned  to  the  village  of  Dam- 
agondai.  Shimbouvenegani  dressed  himself  again  in 
state,  that  is  to  say,  he  put  on  his  swallow-tailed  coat  and 
his  beaver  hat.  In  this  regal  costume  he  accompanied 
us  to  our  canoes,  and  there  bid  us  good-by. 


THE   1IREAKINC.   TP  OF   MOURNING. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

WAK  THREATENED.  —  OSIIOEIA  ARMS  HIS  MEN.  -  WE  BLUF5 
THEM  OFF,  AND  FALL  SICK  WITH  FEVER.  -  THE  MBOLA 
IVOGA,  OR  END  OF  MOURNING  TIME.  -  A  DEATH  AND 
BURIAL.  -  FINDING  OUT  THE  SORCERER.  -  THE  VILLAGE 
DESERTED.  —  I  BECOME  VICEROY  AT  WASHINGTON. 


came  that  Oshoria,  the  chief  of  Guabuirri,  a  vil- 
lage situated  at  the  junction  of  the  Ogobai  and  Anengue 
Rivers,  intended  to  stop  me  on  my  way  back  to  Wash- 
ington. It  was  reported  that  he  had  assembled  all  his 
fighting  men,  and  was  bent  upon  war. 

Poor  Damagondai  was  much  troubled.  He  wanted 
no  war.  He  sent  his  brother  down  with  a  plate,  a  mug, 
and  a  brass  pan,  to  propitiate  Oshoria.  These  were  great 
presents.  A  plate,  a  mug,  and  a  pan  are  thought  to  be 
very  valuable  in  the  regions  of  the  Anengue. 


240  STORIES  OF  THE  GOlltLLA  COUNTRY. 

I  \vas  very  angry.  I  had  done  no  harm  to  the  peo 
pie  of  Guabuirri.  I  had  passed  their  village  in  peace. 
Oshoria  wanted  to  exact  tribute  for  my  passage ;  but  he 
was  not  the  king  of  the  country,  and  I  determined  to  put 
clown  Mr.  Oshoria. 

ViTe  cleaned  our  guns,  and  I  prepared  my  revolvers, 
and  the  next  morning  we  set  out,  without  waiting  for 
the  return  of  the  king's  brother,  greatly  to  the  dismay 
of  Damagondai  and  of  his  peaceful  people.  But  noth- 
ing must  stop  us.  We  must  return  to  Washington.  My 
men  swore  that  they  would  fight  to  the  death. 

When  we  came  in  sight  of  Guabuirri,  I  saw  that  some 
of  my  fellows,  who  a  short  time  before  were  going  to  be 
so  brave,  began  to  show  the  white  feather.  I  therefore 
pointed  to  my  revolver,  and  told  them  that  I  would  blow 
out  the  brains  of  the  first  man  who  failed  to  fight  to  the 
last.  They  had  a  great  respect  for  this  wonderful  re- 
volver, and  they  immediately  answered, "We  are  men." 

So  we  pulled  down  the  stream  and  soon  came  almost 
opposite  Oshoria's  people.  I  gave  orders  to  make  for  the 
town.  On  the  shore  stood  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
fellows  armed  with  spears  and  axes,  and  led  by  ten  men 
who  had  guns.  All  of  them  were  making  a  great  noise. 

My  men  were  all  well  armed,  and,  if  I  remember  well, 
there  were  only  sixteen  of  us.  I  had  my  revolver  in  one 
hand,  and  a  double-barreled  gun  in  the  other.  The  men 
all  had  guns,  which  were  placed  beside  them  in  such  a 
way  that  the  natives  on  shore  could  see  them.  At  this 
piece  of  bravado  Oshoria's  men  became  very  civil.  They 
retreated  as  we  approached  the  landing ;  and  ins-tead  of 
continuing  their  war  shouts  and  firing  at  us, they  received 
us  peaceably,  and  shouted  to  us  not  to  fire. 


OSHORIA.—AM  TAKEN  SICK.  241 

Damagondai's  brother  hurried  down  to  meet  me,  and 
announced  that  there  was  no  palaver :  I  must  not  kill  any- 
body. I  was  then  led  to  where  the  quarrelsome  Oshoria 
stood.  Looking  at  him  with  a  stern  look,  I  reproached 
him  for  his  conduct,  telling  him  that  if  any  body  had 
been  killed,  the  palaver  would  have  been  on  his  own 
bead.  lie  said  he  had  been  vexed  that  I  did  not  stop  to 
see  him  on  my  way  up ;  and,  after  making  farther  ex- 
cuses, added,  "Aoue  olome,"  "thou  art  a  man;"  an  ex- 
pression used  in  several  ways,  either  to  designate  a  smart 
man  or  a  rascal,  or,  in  the  best  sense,  a  very  brave  man 
I  was  content  to  accept  it  as  an  intended  compliment. 

I  was  presented  with  fruits  and  fowls,  and  we  were 
presently  the  best  of  friends.  To  show  them  what  I 
could  do  in  the  way  of  shooting,  I  brought  down  a  little 
bird  which  sat  on  a  very  high  tree.  They  all  declared 
that  I  must  have  a  very  big  shooting  fetich ;  and  they 
reverenced  me  greatly. 

The  next  morning  I  left  Oshoria,  and  once  more  1 
glided  down  the  placid  waters  of  the  Ogobai.  I  reached 
Washington  in  safety. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  August,  and  the  malaria  of  the 
Anengue  marshes  began  to  tell  on  me.  I  fell  sick  with 
dysentery,  and  symptoms  of  malignant  fever.  In  three 
days  I  took  one  hundred  and  eighty  grains  of  quinine, 
and  thus  happily  succeeded  in  breaking  the  force  of  the 
fever,  which  was  the  most  dangerous  of  the  two  diseases. 
I  was  ill  from  the  18th  to  the  31st  of  August,  and  I  did 
not  regain  my  strength  till  the  9th  of  September.  The 
Commi  waited  patiently  for  my  recovery  before  they 
would  go  through  some  of  their  ceremonies. 

There  was  to  be  a  mbola  ivoga  at  Biagano,  that  is,  aii 
16 


242          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

end  of  the  mourning  time,  to  be  celebrated  with  cere- 
monies and  a  terrible  noise. 

When  any  one  of  importance  dies,  the  clan,  or  town, 
or  the  relatives,  cease  to  wear  their  best  clothes,  and  make 
it  a  point  to  go  unusually  dirty.  No  ornaments  what 
ever,  such  as  earrings,  or  bracelets,  or  beads,  are  worn. 
This  is  the  way  they  "mourn."  Mourning  lasts  gener- 
ally from  a  year  to  two  years.  The  ceremonies  at  the 
breaking  up  of  this  mourning  are  what  I  am  now  about 
to  describe. 

The  man  who  had  died  left  seven  wives,  a  house,  a 
plantation,  several  slaves,  and  other  property.  All  this 
the  elder  brother  inherited ;  and  on  him,  as  the  heir,  it 
devolved  to  give  the  grand  feast.  For  this  feast  every 
canoe  that  came  brought  jars  of  mimbo,  or  palm  wine. 
Sholomba  and  Jombouai,  the  heir,  with  his  people,  had 
been  out  for  two  weeks  fishing,  and  now  returned  with 
several  canoe-loads  of  dry  fish.  From  his  plantation  a 
large  supply  of  palm  wine  was  brought  in.  The  women 
and  slaves  had  prepared  a  great  quantity  of  food.  Every 
thing  needful  was  provided  in  great  abundance. 

In  the  village  the  people  all  got  ready  their  best  clothes 
and  furbished  up  their  ornaments.  Drums  and  kettles 
were  collected  for  music;  powder  was  brought  out  for  the 
salutes ;  and  at  last  all  was  ready  for  the  mbola  ivoga. 

The  seven  wives  of  the  deceased  seemed  quite  jolly, 
for  to-morrow  they  were  to  lay  aside  their  widows'  robes, 
and  to  join  in  the  jollification  as  brides.  The  heir  could 
have  married  them  all ;  but  he  had  generously  given  up 
two  to  a  younger  brother,  and  one  to  a  cousin.  He  had 
already  sixteen  wives,  and  might  well  be  content  with 
only  four  more.  Twenty  wives  is  a  pretty  good  number. 


BRIDAL  CEREMONY.  243 

"No  wonder  the  widows  were  glad  to  see  the  time  of 
mourning  over.  For  two  whole  years  they  had  been 
almost  imprisoned  in  their  husband's  house,  hardly  ever 
going  out. 

At  seven  o'clock  three  guns  were  fired  off  to  announce 
that  the  widows  had  done  eating  a  certain  mess,  mixed 
of  various  ingredients,  supposed  to  have  magical  virtues, 
and  by  which  they  are  released  from  their  widowhood. 
This  was  the  first  part  of  the  ceremony.  They  then  put 
on  bracelets  and  anklets,  and  the  finest  calico  they  had. 
Some  of  the  Commi  women  wear  brass  anklets  on  each 
leg  almost  as  high  as  the  knee,  as  you  see  represented  in 
the  picture.  The  weight  must  be  between  twenty  and 
thirty  pounds  on  each  leg.  Besides  these  anklets,  they 
wear  a  few  bracelets  of  the  same  material.  On  their 
necks  they  wear  beads. 

From  early  morning  the  guests  had  been  coming,  all 
bringing  provisions  and  mimbo  (palm  wine)  with  them, 
and  dressed  in  their  best  clothes.  There  were  several 
hundreds  in  all.  The  guests  that  lived  far  away  had 
come  the  day  before.  About  nine  o'clock  all  the  guests 
sat  down  on  mats,  spread  about  outside  of  the  house  of 
the  deceased,  and  along  the  main  street.  They  were  di- 
vided into  little  groups,  and  before  each  was  set  an  im- 
mense jar  of  mimbo,  and  food  was  spread  before  them. 
All  began  to  talk  pleasantly,  till  suddenly  the  Biagano 
people  fired  off  a  volley  of  about  one  hundred  guns. 
This  was  the  signal  for  the  drinking  and  eating  to  be- 
gin. Men,  women,  and  children  set  to,  and  ate  as  much 
as  they  could,  and  from  this  time  till  the  next  morning 
the  orgies  were  continued  without  interruption.  They 
drank,  they  sang,  they  shouted,  they  fired  guns,  and  load 


244  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

ed  them  so  heavily  when  they  got  tipsy  that  1  wondei 
the  old  trade-guns  did  not  burst.  They  drummed  on 
every  thing  that  could  possibly  give  out  a  noise.  The 
women  danced — such  dances  as  are^not  seen  else  where  1 
You  may  imagine  what  they  were  when  every  woman 
was  so  furiously  tipsy. 

This  mbola  ivoga  would  have  lasted  probably  for  sev- 
eral days,  but  the  victuals  and  palm  wine  finally  gave 
out. 

Next  day,  about  sunrise,  Jombouai  came  and  asked  me 
to  assist  at  the  concluding  ceremony,  for  I  had  told  him 
that  I  wanted  to  see  every  scene  of  the  mbola  ivoga. 
His  brother's  house,  according  to  the  custom,  was  to  be 
torn  down  and  burned — yes,  burned  to  the  ground,  so 
that  not  a  vestige  of  it  would  remain  to  remind  the  peo- 
ple that  once  there  stood  a  house  whose  possessor  was 
dead. 

The  people  came  around  the  house  and  fired  guns; 
then,  in  a  moment,  as  if  they  were  an  infuriated  mob, 
they  hacked  the  old  house  to  pieces  with  axes  and  cut- 
lasses ;  then  they  set  fire  to  it.  "When  the  ruins  were 
burnt,  the  feast  was  done. 

This  is  the  way  they  go  out  of  mourning  among  the 
Commi.  The  widows  were  all  married  again,  and,  until 
another  death  should  occur,  every  thing  would  go  smooth- 
ly again. 

Hardly  were  the  rejoicings  over  when  Ishungui,  the 
man  who  had  faithfully  taken  care  of  my  house  in  my 
absence,  lay  at  death's  door.  He  had  gone  out  on  Jom- 
bouai's  fishing  excursion  in  order  to  catch  fish  for  the 
mbola  ivoga  which  I  have  just  described.  He  caught 
cold,  and  had  now  a  lung  fever.  The  people  called  fof 


CURE  WORSE  THAN  DISEASE.  245 

me.  I  knew  as  soon  as  I  saw  him  that  he  must  die, 
and  I  tried  to  prepare  his  mind  for  the  change.  But  his 
friends  and  relatives  by  no  means  gave  him  up.  They 
sent  for  a  distinguished  fetich  doctor,  and  under  his  aus- 
pices they  began  the  infernal  din  with  which  they  seek 
to  cure  a  dying  man.  I  am  afraid  the  cure  is  worse 
than  the  disease. 

One  of  the  Commi  people's  theories  of  disease  is  that 
Obambou  (the  devil)  has  got  into  the  sick  man,  and  as 
long  as  the  devil  remains  in  the  body  there  is  no  hope  of 
curing  the  man.  Now  this  devil  is  only  to  be  driven 
out  by  noise,  and,  accordingly,  a  great  crowd  surround 
the  sick  man,  and  beat  drams  and  kettles  close  to  his 
head,  fire  off  guns  close  to  his  ears,  and  in  every  part  of 
the  house  they  sing,  shout,  dance,  and  make  all  the  noise 
they  can.  This  lasts  till  the  poor  fellow  either  dies  or  is 
better ;  but  I  must  say  that  he  generally  dies,  unless  the 
operators  get  tired  out  first. 

Ishtmgui  died.  lie  left  no  property,  and  his  brother 
buried  him  in  the  sand,  without  a  coffin,  in  a  grave  so 
shallow  (as  is  the  custom)  that,  when  I  came  upon  it 
some  days  after,  I  saw  that  the  wild  beasts  had  been  there 
and  eaten  the  corpse. 

The  mourning  was  short  in  this  case ;  it  lasted  only 
six  days.  There  were  no  wives  or  property;  there  was 
no  feast.  The  relatives  of  the  deceased  slept  one  night 
in  his  house  as  a  mark  of  respect. 

Among  the  Commi,  it  is  the  custom,  when  a  man  has 
died,  to  keep  the  nchougou.     The  nchougou  is  a  feast 
that  takes  place  generally,  if  not  always,  after  the  man 
has  been  dead  six  days.     There  is  drinking,  eating,  and  • 
dancing;  but  the  rejoicing  is  not  so  uproarious  as  the 


246  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

ceremony  of  the  mbola  ivoga.  Then  the  mourning  be- 
gins. I  think  you  will  agree  with  me  that  the  ncliougou 
is  a  most  extraordinary  custom. 

After  Ishungui  had  died,  it  became  necessary  to  dis- 
cover the  persons  who  had  bewitched  the  deac1  man ;  for 
the  Commi  said, "  How  is  it  that  a  young  man,  generally 
healthy,  should  die  so  suddenly?"  This  they  did  not 
believe  to  be  natural ;  hence  they  attributed  his  death  to 
sorcerers,  and  were  afraid  that  the  sorcerers  would  kill 
other  people. 

A  canoe  had  been  dispatched  up  to  Lake  Anengue  to 
bring  down  a  great  doctor.  They  brought  down  one  of 
Damagondai's  sons,  a  great  rascal.  He  had  been  fore- 
most in  selling  me  the  idol,  or  mbuiti  of  the  slaves,  of 
which  I  spoke  to  you,  and  he  was  an  evident  cheat. 

When  all  was  ready  for  the  trial,  I  went  down  to  look 
at  the  doctor,  who  looked  really  diabolical.  I  never  saw 
a  more  ugly-looking  object. 

He  had  on  a  high  head-dress  of  black  feathers.  His 
eyelids  were  painted  red,  and  a  red  stripe,  from  the  nose 
upward,  divided  his  forehead  into  two  parts ;  another 
stripe  passed  around  his  head.  The  face  was  painted 
white,  and  on  each  side  of  the  mouth  were  two  round 
red  spots.  About  his  neck  hung  a  necklace  of  grass,  and 
also  a  cord,  which  held  a  box  against  his  breast.  This 
little  box  is  sacred,  and  contains  spirits.  A  number  of 
strips  of  leopard's  skin,  and  of  skin  of  other  animals, 
crossed  his  breast,  and  were  exposed  about  his  person ; 
and  all  these  were  charmed,  and  had  charms  attached  tc 
them.  From  each  shoulder  down  to  his  hands  was  a 
white  stripe,  and  one  hand  was  painted  quite  white.  To 
complete  this  horrible  array,  he  wore  around  his  body  a 
string  of  little  bells. 


THE  GREA  T  DOCTOR.  247 

He  sat  on  a  box.  Before  him  stood  another  box  con- 
taining charms.  On  this  stood  a  looking-glass,  before 
which  lay  a  buffalo  horn.  In  this  horn  there  was  some 
black  powder,  and  it  was  said  to  be  the  refuge  of  many 
spirits.  The  doctor  had  also  a  little  basket  of  snake- 
bones,  which  he  shook  frequently  during  his  incanta- 
tions, and  several  skins,  to  which  little  bells  were  at- 
tached. Near  by  stood  a  fellow  beating  a  board  with 
two  sticks. 

All  the  people  of  the  village  gathered  about  this 
couple  The  doctor  had,  no  doubt,  impressed  the  people 
with  his  great  power.  His  incantations  were  continued 
for  a  long  time,  and  at  last  came  to  the  climax.  Jom- 
bouai  was  told  to  call  over  the  names  of  persons  in  the 
village,  in  order  that  the  doctor  might  ascertain  if  any 
of  those  named  were  sorcerers.  As  each  name  was 
called,  the  old  cheat  looked  in  the  looking-glass  to  see 
the  result. 

During  the  whole  operation  I  stood  near  him,  which 
seemed  to  trouble  him  greatly.  At  last,  after  all  the 
names  were  called,  the  doctor  declared  that  he  could  not 
find  any  "  witch-man,"  but  that  an  evil  spirit  dwelt  in  the 
village,  and  many  of  the  people  would  die  if  it  continued 
there.  I  have  a  suspicion  that  this  final  judgment  with 
which  the  incantations  broke  up  was  a  piece  of  revenge 
upon  me.  I  had  no  idea  until  the  next  day  how  seriously 
the  word  of  one  of  these  ougangas  (doctors)  is  taken. 

The  next  morning  all  was  excitement.  The  people 
were  scared.  They  said  their  mbuiti  was  not  willing  to 
have  them  live  longer  here ;  that  he  would  kill  them,  etc. 
Then  began  the  removal  of  all  kinds  of  property,  and  the 
tearing  down  of  houses,  and  by  nightfall  I  wras  actually 


248  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

left  alone  in  my  house  with  a  Mpongwe  boy  and  my  lit> 
tie  Ogobai  boy  Macoiidai,  both  of  whom  were  anxious  to 
be  off. 

Old  Ranpano  came  to  beg  me  not  to  be  offended ;  he 
said  that  he  dared  not  stay ;  that  the  mbuiti  was  now  in 
town.  He  advised  me,  as  a  friend,  to  move  also ;  but 
nobody  wished  me  ill,  only  he  must  go,  and  would  build 
his  house  not  far  off. 

I  did  not  like  to  abandon  my  house  and  settlement  at 
Washington,  which  it  had  cost  me  a  good  deal  of  trouble 
to  build.  I  called  a  meeting  of  the  people,  and  it  \\  ;is 
with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  I  could  get  some  of  my 
own  canoe-boys  and  a  few  men  to  come  and  stay  at  my 
place.  These  began  immediately  to  build  themselves 
houses,  and  a  little  village  was  built,  of  which  I  was  now, 
to  my  great  surprise,  offered  the  sovereignty.  I  remem- 
bered how  the  new  king  was  made  in  the  Gaboon,  and  I 
did  not  know  but  that  the  Commi  had  the  same  custom. 
The  thought  of  the  ceremony  which  precedes  the  as- 
sumption of  royalty  deterred  me.  Finally,  the  men  de- 
termined to  have  me  as  their  chief,  next  to  Ranpano ' 
and  with  this  my  ambition  was  satisfied. 


VTOLF  HUNTING. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

HTNTING   IN   THE   WOODS. THE    MBOYO   WOLF. WE    CATCH 

ANOTHER   YOUNG   GORILLA. HE   STARVES   TO  DEATH. 

EVERY  thing  went  on  smoothly  among  the  good  Com- 
mi.  When  I  absented  myself  they  took  great  care  of 
my  property.  They  seemed  proud  of  their  honesty ;  and, 
though  it  was  a  wild  country,  and  they  were  a  wild  peo- 
ple, I  felt  very  safe  among  them. 

Now  and  then  I  left  Washington  to  go  and  live  entire- 
ly in  the  woods,  and  hunt,  sometimes  for  gorillas,  at  other 
times  for  wild  boars  or  buffaloes,  or  something  else. 

I  was  also  very  fond  of  1  uniting  the  mboyo,  a  very  shy 
animal  of  the  wolf  kind,  with  long  yellowish  hair  and 
straight  ears.  They  are  very  cunning;  and  now  and 
then  you  can  see  them  in  the  grass,  engaged  in  hunting 
for  themselves.  I  have  often  watched  these  animals  sur- 
rounding and  chasing  game.  They  run  very  welt  to 


250  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

gether  in  a  drove ;  and  as  their  policy  is  to  run  round 
and  round,  they  soon  bewilder,  tire  out,  and  capture  any 
animal  of  moderate  endurance.  As  they  run  round, 
gradually  their  circle  grows  smaller  and  smaller;  and  of 
course,  the  smaller  it  becomes,  the  more  bewildered  be- 
comes their  prey. 

Often  I  have  seen  them  prying  about  alone  in  search 
of  prey.  How  roguish  they  look !  and  I  could  only  shoot 
them  at  very  long  distances.  I  never  was  able  to  get 
near  one  of  them. 

At  times  I  went  into  the  country  where  gorillas  were 
plentiful,  and  had  a  good  deal  of  fun  and  plenty  of  ex- 
citement. This  country  was  not  far  from  the  village  of 
a  chief  called  Makaga  Oune-jiou.  This  chief  was  affect- 
ed with  leprosy.  He  had  already  lost  all  the  fingers  of 
his  left  hand,  and  two  fingers  of  his  right  hand,  besides 
the  big  toe  of  his  left  foot.  But  Makaga  was  very  kind 
to  me,  and  was  much  beloved  by  his  people.  His  village 
was  small,  but  was  a  very  dear  little  village  to  him.  It 
was  surrounded  by  fields  of  sugar-cane,  plantain-trees, 
and  little  fields  of  ground-nuts ;  and  now  and  then  the 
gorillas  came  and  helped  themselves  to  the  good  tilings 
these  people  had  planted.  This  made  them  very  wroth, 
and  they  were  always  glad  to  have  me  come  and  spend  a 
few  days  among  them. 

Early  in  the  morning  I  could  sometimes  hear  the  go- 
rillas, who  then  came  quite  near  the  village.  Here  I 
found  that  I  need  not  make  long  journeys  in  order  to 
reach  the  hunting-ground.  But  they  are  difficult  of  ap- 
proach'; the  slightest  noise  alarms  them  and  sends  them 
off.  It  is  only  once  in  a  while  that  you  can  surprise  aa 
old  male,  and  then  he  will  fight  you. 


I  CAPTURE  ANOTHER  GORILLA.— HE  DIES.      251 

While  staying  with  Makaga  Oune-jiou  I  captured  a 
Second  young  gorilla,  and  we  had  an  exciting  time,  I  as- 
sure you,  before  we  got  him. 

We  were  walking  along  in  silence,  when  I  heard  a  cry, 
and  presently  I  saw  not  far  from  me,  in  the  midst  of  a 
dense  foliage,  a  female  gorilla,  with  a  tiny  baby  gorilla 
hanging  to  her  breast.  The  mother  was  stroking  the  lit- 
tle one,  and  looking  fondly  down  at  it ;  and  the  scene 
was  so  pretty  and  touching  that  I  withheld  my  fire  and 
considered  (like  a  soft-hearted  fellow)  whether  I  had  not 
better  leave  them  in  peace.  Before  I  could  make  up  my 
mind,  however,  my  hunter  fired  and  killed  the  mother, 
who  fell  dead  without  a  struggle. 

The  mother  fell,  but  the  baby  clung  to  her,  and,  with 
piteous  cries,  endeavored  to  attract  her  attention.  I  came 
up,  and  when  it  saw  me  it  hid  its  poor  little  head  in  its 
mother's  breast.  It  could  neither  walk  nor  bite,  it  was 
such  a  tiny  little  baby  gorilla.  We  could  easily  manage 
it ;  and  I  carried  it,  while  the  men  bore  the  mother  on  a 
pole. 

When  we  got  to  the  village  another  scene  ensued.  The 
men  put  the  body  down,  and  I  set  the  little  fellow  near. 
As  soon  as  he  saw  his  mother  he  crawled  to  her,  and 
threw  himself  on  her  breast.  lie  did  not  find  his  accus- 
tomed nourishment,  and  perceived  that  something  was 
the  matter  with  his  mother.  He  crawled  over  her  body, 
smelt  at  it,  and  gave  utterance  from  time  to  time  to  a 
plaintive  cry, "  hoo,  hoo,  hoo,"  which  touched  my  heart. 

I  could  get  no  milk  for  this  poor  little  fellow.  He 
could  not  eat,  and  consequently  he  died  on  the  third  day 
after  he  was  caught. 


AN  INCANTATION  SOENK. 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

GOING   TO   UNKNOWN   REGIONS. — QUENGUEZA  SENDS  HIS   SO» 

AS  A  HOSTAGE. — I  TAKE  HIM  ALONG  WITH  ME. RECEPTION 

BY  THE  KING. OUR  SPEECHES. QUENGUEZA  AFRAID  OF  A 

WITCH. — AN  INCANTATION  SCENE. 

TIME  passed  on.  It  was  several  years  since  I  left  the 
United  States,  but  nevertheless  I  determined  to  set  out 
for  the  head  waters  of  the  Fernand-Vaz,  and  for  conn 
tries  undiscovered  as  yet  by  white  men. 

Quengneza  had  sent  to  me  his  eldest  son,  named  Kom- 
1)6  (the  snn),  with  a  present  of  ebony  wood,  and  his  young- 
est son,  a  boy  of  ten,  called  Akounga ;  and  he  said  I  must 
come,  and  leave  Akounga  in  Ranpano's  hands  as  a  hos- 
tage for  my  safety.  "  You  see,"  he  sent  word,  "  that  I 
am  not  afraid  of  you.  You  may  trust  me." 

I  had  to  take  my  bio-  boat,,  because  no  canoe  would 


REACH  GOUMBL— QUENGUEZA.  253 

hold  all  the  goods,  powder  and  shot,  guns,  provisions,  and 
medicines  I  took  along.  It  was  to  be  a  very,  very  long 
journey.  I  was  the  first  white  man  to  venture  up  in  this 
direction,  and  I  was  anxious  to  get  as  far  as  possible. 

We  were  fifteen  in  all  in  my  boat.  Another  canoex 
with  fifteen  more  men,  followed  us.  Quengueza's  little 
boy  was  with  us  too.  I  would  never  have  thought  of 
such  a  thing  as  keeping  the  poor  little  fellow  away  from 
his  mother  and  father.  I  took  also  the  brave  little  Ma- 
condai,  whom  I  had  at  first  determined  to  leave  behind, 
as  being  too  small  to  stand  the  fatigues  of  such  a  jour- 
ney. The  little  fellow  entreated  so  much  to  be  taken 
that  I  at  last  consented.  He  behaved  like  a  man.  Ma- 
condai  grew  fast  as  years  went  by,  and  I  wish  you  could 
have  seen  him  fighting  by  my  side  in  Ashango  land. 

At  last,  after  much  fatigue  and  hard  pulling,  we  reach- 
ed the  village  of  Goumbi,  the  residence  of  King  Quen- 
gueza.  Here  I  was  received  in  the  most  triumphant  man- 
ner. I  could  not  make  myself  heard  for  the  shouts  and 
firing  of  guns.  The  whole  population  of  Goumbi  crowd- 
ed down  to  the  shore  to  see  me,  and  I  was  led  up  in  pro- 
cession to  an  immense  covered  space,  capable  of  holding 
at  least  a  thousand  people,  and  surrounded  by  seats.  I 
found  there  strangers  from  various  parts  of  the  interior, 
who  gazed  at  me,  and  especially  at  my  hair,  with  the 
greatest  wonder. 

A  large  high  seat  was  appointed  for  me,  and  another 
close  to  it  was  for  Quengueza,  who  presently  arrived  with 
a  face  beaming  with  joy.  He  shook  hands  with  me,  and 
then  seated  himself. 

There  was  a  dead  silence  in  the  vast  crowd  before  us. 
Quengueza  was  an  old,  white -wooled  negro,  very  tall, 


254:  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

spare,  and  of  a  severe  countenance,  betokening  great  en* 
ergy  and  courage,  qualities  for  which  he  was  celebrated 
all  over  their  country.  When  younger  he  was  the  dread 
of  all,  but  now  that  he  had  become  the  chief  of  his  clan, 
and  was  getting  old,  he  had  grown  milder,  and  become 
peaceful,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  surrounding  villages.  lie 
was  a  very  remarkable  man  for  his  opportunities.  lie 
made  haste  to  tell  me  that  he  was  in  mourning  for  liis 
eldest  brother,  who  had  died  two  years  before,  and  left 
him  chief  of  their  clan,  the  Abouya. 

Quengueza  had  on  a  finely-knit  black  cap,  and  a  grass 
body-cloth,  which  was  black  also ;  both  the  cap  and  cloth 
were  of  Ashira  make,  and  were  really  beautiful.  lie  had 
no  shirt ;  that  article  is  not  allowed  to  mourners ;  but  he 
wore  an  American  coat  which  was  too  small  for  him. 

After  the  king  had  done  welcoming  me,  I  called  his 
little  son,  Akotmga.  When  he  had  come  forward,  I  said 
to  the  king  in  a  loud  voice,  that  the  people  might  hoar, 
"  You  sent  your  son  to  me  to  keep,  so  that  I  might  feel 
safe  to  come  to  you.  I  am  not  afraid.  I  like  you,  and 
can  trust  you ;  therefore  I  have  brought  your  little  son 
back  to  you.  I  do  not  want  him  as  a  hostage  for  my 
safety.  Let  him  remain  by  the  side  of  his  mother." 

At  this  there  was  tremendous  shouting,  and  the  people 
seemed  overjoyed. 

The  king  rose  to  reply.  There  was  immediately  a  dead 
silence,  for  Quengueza  was  greatly  reverenced  by  his  peo- 
ple. The  king  said, "  This  is  my  ntangani  (white  man) ; 
lie  has  come  from  a  far  country  to  see  me.  I  went  down 
to  beg  him  to  come  up  to  me.  Now  he  has  come.  Let 
no  one  do  harm  to  his  people ;  for  him  I  need  not  speak. 
Give  food  to  his  people.  Treat  them  well.  Do  not  steal 


QUENGUEZA  AFRAID  OF  A  WITCH.  255 

any  thing.  If  you  do  not  do  as  I  say,  A  BIG  PALAVER 
WILL  COME  UPON  YOU  !"  This  last  sentence  he  uttered  in 
a  tremendous  voice. 

Then  he  addressed  himself  to  the  Ashira  and  Bakalai, 
who  were  present,  saying, "  Beware !  Do  not  steal  my 
white  man,  for  if  you  should  make  the  attempt,  I  will 
sell  you  all." 

Then  loads  of  plantains  and  sugar-canes,  together  with 
a  hundred  fowls,  and  several  goats,  were  presented  to  me 
by  the  king,  and  this  closed  the  ceremony. 

The  longer  I  staid  with  Quengueza,  the  more  I  loved 
him ;  I  was  only  sorry  that  he  was  so  curiously  supersti- 
tious. For  a  year  he  had  not  passed  down  the  street 
which  led  most  directly  to  the  water,  but  had  gone  al- 
ways by  a  roundabout  way,  because,  when  he  came  to  the 
throne,  this  street  was  pronounced  bewitched  by  a  secret 
ensmy  of  his,  and  he  was  persuaded  that  if  he  passed  by 
it  he  would  surely  die.  This  superstitious  notion  had 
originated  in  a  dream  of  the  king's3  which  had  been  in- 
terpreted in  that  way. 

Several  times  efforts  had  been  made  by  distinguished 
doctors  to  drive  away  the  aniemba  (witch)  which  there 
lay  in  wait ;  but  the  king,  though  he  believed  in  sorcery, 
did  not  have  much  faith  in  the  exercisers  or  doctors.  lie 
thought  that  perhaps  the  aniemba  had  not  gone,  and  that 
it  was  better  to  be  on  the  safe  side,  which  was  not  to  go 
on  the  road  at  all.  But  his  subjects  felt  very  much 
troubled  about  this  matter,  for  they  wanted  their  king  to 
pass  through  their  street  sometimes. 

Once  more  a  last  attempt  was  made  to  drive  off  the 
aniemba,  or  witch.  A  famous  doctor  from  the  far-off 


256  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

Bakalai  country  had  been  brought  down  to  perform  this 
act.  His  name  was  Aquailai. 

In  the  evening  the  people  gathered  in  great  numbers 
under  the  immense  hangar,  or  covered  space  in  which  I 
had  been  received,  and  there  lit  fires,  around  which  they 
sat.  The  space  thus  covered  was  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  long  by  forty  wide,  and  was  roofed  with  palm  branch- 
es and  leaves. 

About  ten  o'clock,  when  it  was  pitch  dark,  the  doctor 
commenced  operations  by  singing  some  boastful  soiiir>. 
recounting  his  power  over  witches.  Immediately  all  the 
people  gathered  into  their  houses,  and  with  such  great 
haste  that  two  women,  failing  to  get  home,  and  afraid  to 
go  farther  through  the  streets,  took  refuge  in  my  house. 
Then  all  the  fires  in  the  houses  were  carefully  extin- 
guished, those  under  the  hangar  having  been  already  put 
out ;  and  in  about  an  hour  more  there  was  not  a  light  of 
any  kind  in  the  whole  town  except  mine.  They  had 
only  asked  of  me  that  I  should  shut  my  door.  The  most 
pitchy  darkness  and  the  most  complete  silence  reurned 
every  where.  No  voice  could  be  heard,  even  in  a  whis- 
per, among  the  several  thousands  of  people  gathered  in 
the  gloom. 

At  last  the  silence  was  broken  by  the  doctor,  who, 
standing  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  began  some  loud  bab- 
bling, of  which  I  could  not  make  out  the  meaning.  Fr<  mi 
time  to  time  the  people  answered  him  in  chorus.  This 
went  on  for  an  hour,  and  was  really  one  of  the  strangest 
scenes  I  ever  took  part  in.  I  could  see  nothing  but  the 
faces  of  the  two  women  in  my  house,  who  were  badly 
frightened,  poor  things,  as,  in  fact,  all  the  people  were. 
The  hollow  voice  of  the  witch-doctor  resounded  curious- 


AN  INCANTA  TION  SCENE.  257 

]y  through  the  silence ;  and  when  the  answer  of  many 
mingled  voices  came  through  the  darkness,  the  ceremony 
really  assumed  the  air  of  a  poet's  incantation  scene. 

At  last,  just  at  midnight  by  my  watch,  I  heard  the  doc- 
tor approach.  He  had  bells  girded  about  him,  which  he 
jingled  as  he  walked.  He  went  to  every  family  in  the 
town  successively,  and  asked  if  to  them  belonged  the  an- 
iemba  (witch)  that  obstructed  the  king's  highway.  Of 
course,  all  answered  no.  Then  he  began  to  run  up  and 
down  the  bewitched  street,  calling  out  loudly  for  the 
witch  to  go  off.  Presently  he  came  back  and  announced 
that  he  could  no  longer  see  the  aniemba,  which  had 
doubtless  gone  never  to  come  back.  At  this  all  the  peo- 
ple rushed  out  of  their  houses  and  shouted, "  Go  away ! 
go  away !  and  never  come  back  to  hurt  our  king !" 

Then  fires  were  lit,  and  all.  sat  down  to  eat.  This 
done,  all  the  fires  were  once  more  extinguished,  and  the 
people  sung  wild  songs  until  four  o'clock.  Then  the 
fires  were  lit  again. 

At  sunrise  the  whole  population  gathered  to  accom- 
pany their  king  down  the  dreaded  street  to  the  water. 
Quengueza,  I  know,  was  brave  as  a  hunter  and  as  a  war- 
rior. He  was  also  very  intelligent  about  many  things 
regarding  which  his  people  were  very  stupid ;  but  the 
poor  old  king  was  now  horribly  afraid.  He  was  assured 
that  the  aniemba  was  gone,  but  he  evidently  thought 
that  he  was  walking  to  almost  certain  death.  He  hesi- 
tated ;  but  at  last  he  determined  to  face  his  fate,  and 
walked  manfully  down  to  the  river  and  back,  amid  the 
plaudits  of  his  loyal  subjects.  So  ended  the  ceremony  •, 
but  Quengueza  never  went  again  on  that  road ;  his  dread 
of  it  still  remained. 
17 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

GORILLA    HUNTING. MY    COMPANIONS    MOMBON,  ETIA,   ANP 

GAMBO. ETIA   KILLS   A   LARGE    GORILLA. WE    MAKK    II' 

A   LARGE   PARTY. CAMP    STORIES  ABOUT   GORILLAS. WB 

CAPTURE   A   YOUNG   GORILLA. HER   UNTIMELY   DEATH. 

QUENGUEZA  had  a  slave  named  Mombon  whom  lie 
loved  greatly.  Mombon  was  his  overseer,  chamberlain, 
steward,  man  of  business,  and  general  factotum,  the  man 
whose  place  it  was  to  take  care  of  the  king's  private 
affairs,  set  his  slaves  to  work,  oversee  his  plantations, 
and  who  had  the  care  of  the  keys  of  the  royal  houses. 
Mombon  was  to  see  that  I  was  made  comfortable  in 
town. 

Quengueza  had  also  another  slave  named  Etia.  Etia 
was  his  favorite  hunter,  and  he  gave  him  to  me  for  a 
guide  in  the  bush.  This  Etia  was  a  fine -looking  old 
man,  belonging  to  a  tribe  far  in  the  interior,  who  lu  <1 
never  heard  that  there  was  such  a  thing  as  a  white  man 
in  the  world.  He  was  living  on  a  little  plantation  out- 
side the  town,  where  he  had  a  neat  house,  and  a  nice  old 
wife,  who  always  treated  me  in  a  kind,  motherly  way ; 
she  always  had  something  to  give  me  to  eat.  Etia's  busi- 
ness was  to  supply  the  royal  larder  with  "  bush  meat," 
and  he  went  out  hunting  almost  every  week  for  that 
purpose. 

Etia  and  I  became  great  .friends,  and  loved  each  other 


HUNTERS'  LOVE.— GORILLA  TRACKS.  261 

much.  I  gave  to  Etia  and  to  his  wife  many  little  pres- 
ents, with  which  they  always  seemed  very  much  pleased. 
Around  the  house  of  Etia  were  arranged  skulls  of  ele- 
phants, hippopotami,  leopards,  and  gorillas,  as  trophies  of 
his  prowess. 

Among  the  numerous  guests  of  Quengueza  was  an 
A  si  lira  chief,  who  had  come  on  a  visit  to  the  king.  He 
had  a  son  called  Gambo,  a  noted  hunter.  Gambo  was  a 
very  ill-looking  fellow,  but  he  had  a  fiery  eye,  great  cour- 
age, and  a  kind  heart.  I  became  very  fond  of  Gambo, 
and  Gambo  became  very  fond  of  me.  Sometimes  Quen- 
gueza could  not  help  saying  to  his  people, "  See  how 
hunters  love  each  other,  no  matter  if  they  come  from 
different  countries.  See  how  my  white  man  loves  the 
black  hunters."  In  fact,  we  were  always  together. 
I  had  never  seen  the  Ashira  tribe  to  which  Gambo  be- 
longed. 

One  day  we  had  been  going  through  the  woods  about 
three  hours  when  at  last  we  came  upon  fresh  gorilla 
tracks.  Etia  now  set  out  alone,  while  Gambo  and  I 
walked  silently  in  another  direction.  The  gorilla  is 
so  difficult  to  approach  that  we  had  literally  to  creep 
through  the  thick  woods  when  in  their  vicinity.  The 
hunter  can  not  expect  to  see  his  enemy  till  he  is  close 
upon  him.  The  forest  is  so  thick  and  gloomy  that  even 
when  quite  near  the  animal  is  but  dimly  visible.  All 
this  makes  hunting  for  the  gorilla  very  trying  to  the 
nerves ;  for  it  is  in  the  hunter's  mind  that  if  he  misses 
—if  his  bullet  does  not  go  to  the  most  fatal  point — the 
wounded  and  infuriated  brute  will  make  short  work  of 
his  opponent. 

As  we  crept  silently  along,  suddenly  the  woods  re- 


262  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

sounded  with  the  report  of  a  gun.  "We  sped  at  once  to- 
ward the  quarter  whence  the  report  came,  and  there  we 
found  old  Etia  sitting  complacently  upon  the  dead  body 
of  the  largest  female  gorilla  I  ever  saw.  The  total 
height  of  the  animal  was  four  feet  seven  inches.  This 
was  a  huge  gorilla  for  a  female,  for  they  are  al\\  a\> 
much  smaller  than  the  males. 

Another  time  we  made  up  a  large  party.  We  were 
to  go  a  considerable  distance  to  a  spot  where  Etia  gave 
me  hopes  that  we  should  catch  a  young  gorilla  alive.  I 
would  have  gone  through  any  hardship  and  peril  to  get 
one  large  enough  to  be  kept  alive,  and  to  be  sent  to  Eu- 
rope. 

Etia,  Gambo,  myself,  and  ten  men  composed  our  par- 
ty. Each  was  armed,  and  laden  with  provisions  for  a 
couple  of  days.  The  men  were  covered  with  fetiches. 
They  had  painted  their  faces  red,  and  had  cut  their 
hands  in  more  than  fifty  different  places.  This  bleed- 
ing of  the  hands  was  done  for  luck.  The  fellows  were 
nearly  naked ;  but  this  is  their  usual  habit. 

As  for  me,  I  had  also  made  extra  preparations.  I  had 
blackened  my  face  and  hands  with  powdered  charcoal 
and  oil ;  and  my  blue  drilling  shirt  and  trowsers  and 
black  shoes  made  me  as  dark  as  any  of  them.  My  re- 
volvers hung  at  my  side,  with  my  ammunition  bag  and 
brandy  flask ;  my  rifle  lay  upon  my  shoulder.  All  this 
excited  the  admiration  of  the  crowd  which  assembled  to 
see  us  go  out. 

Quengueza  was  greatly  delighted,  and  exclaimed, 
"  What  kind  of  ntangani  (white  man)  is  this  ?  He  fears 
nothing;  he  cares  for  neither  sun  nor  water;  he  loves 
nothing  but  the  hunt." 


CAMP  STORIES  ABOUT  GORILLAS.  263 

The  old  king  charged  the  people  to  take  great  care  of 
his  white  man,  and  to  defend  him  with  their  lives,  if 
need  be. 

We  traveled  all  day,  and  about  sunset  came  to  a  little 
river.  Here  we  began  at  once  to  make  a  fire  and  build 
leafy  shelters  for  the  night.  Scarcely  was  the  fire-wood 
gathered,  and  we  were  safely  bestowed  under  our  shel- 
ter, when  a  storm  came  up  which  lasted  half  an  hour. 
Then  all  was  clear  once  more.  We  cooked  plantains 
and  smoked  some  dried  fishes. 

In  the  evening  the  men  told  storLs  about  gorillas. 

"  I  remember,"  said  one, "  my  father  told  me  he  once 
went  out  to  the  forest,  when  just  in  his  path  he  met  a 
great  gorilla.  My  father  had  his  spear  in  his  hand. 
When  the  gorilla  saw  the  spear  he  began  to  roar ;  then 
my  father  was  terrified,  and  dropped  the  spear.  When 
the  gorilla  saw  that  my  father  had  dropped  the  spear  he 
was  pleased.  He  looked  at  him,  and  then  left  him  and 
wrent  into  the  thick  forest.  Then  rny  father  was  glad, 
and  went  on  his  way." 

Here  all  shouted  together, "  Yes ;  so  we  must  do  when 
we  meet  the  gorilla.  Drop  the  spear ;  that  appeases 
him." 

Is  ext  Gambo  spoke.  "  Several  dry  seasons  ago  a  man 
suddenly  disappeared  from  my  village  after  an  angry 
quarrel.  Some  time  after  an  Ashira  of  that  village  was 
out  in  the  forest.  He  met  a  very  large  gorilla.  That 
gorilla  was  the  man  who  had  disappeared ;  he  had  turned 
into  a  gorilla.  lie  jumped  on  the  poor  Ashira,  and  bit  a 
piece  out  of  his  arm ;  then  he  let  him  go.  Then  the  man 
came  back  with  his  bleeding  arm.  He  told  me  this.  I 
hope  we  shall  not  meet  such  gorillas." 


264  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

Chorus — "No;  we  shall  not  meet  such  wicked  go 
rillas." 

I  myself  afterward  met  that  man  in  the  A>hira  coun- 
try. I  saw  his  maimed  arm,  and  he  repeated  the  .-aiuc 
story. 

Then  one  of  the  men  spoke  up :  "  If  we  kill  a  gorilla 
to-morrow,  1  should  like  to  have  a  part  of  the  brain  for 
a  fetich.  Nothing  makes  a  man  so  brave  as  to  have  a 
fetich  of  gorilla's  brain.  That  gives  a  man  a  strong 
heart." 

Chorus  of  those  who  remained  awake — "Yes;  that 
gives  a  man  a  strong  heart." 

Then  we  all  gradually  dropped  to  sleep. 

Next  morning  we  cleaned  and  reloaded  our  guns,  and 
started  off  for  the  hunting  ground.  There  is  a  particular 
little  berry  of  which  the  gorilla  is  very  fond,  and  where 
this  is  found  in  abundance  you  are  sure  to  meet  the 
animal. 

We  had  divided.  Etia,  Gambo,  two  other  men,  and  I 
kept  together,  and  we  had  hardly  gone  more  than  an 
hour  when  we  heard  the  cry  of  a  young  gorilla  after  his 
mother.  Etia  heard  it  first,  and  at  once  pointed  out  the 
direction  in  which  it  was. 

Immediately  we  began  to  walk  with  greater  caution 
than  before.  Presently  Etia  and  Gambo  crept  ahead,  as 
they  were  expert  with  the  net,  and  were  also  the  best 
woodsmen.  I  unwillingly  remained  behind,  but  dared 
not  go  with  them,  lest  my  clumsier  movements  should 
betray  our  presence.  In  a  short  time  we  heard  two  guns 
fired.  Running  up,  we  found  the  mother  gorilla  shot, 
but  her  little  one  had  escaped ;  they  had  not  been  abk 
to  catch  it 


CAPTURE  A  THIRD  GORILLA.— ITS  TREACHERY.  265 

The  poor  mother  lay  there  in  her  gore,  but  the  little 
fellow  was  off  in  the  woods ;  so  we  concealed  ourselves 
hard  by  to  wait  for  its  return.  Presently  it  came  up, 
jumped  on  its  mother,  and  began  sucking  at  her  breasts 
and  fondling  her.  Then  Etia,  Gambo,  and  I  rushed  upon 
it.  Though  evidently  less  than  two  years  old,  it  proved 
very  strong,  and  escaped  from  us.  But  we  gave  chase, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  had  it  fast,  not,  however,  before 
one  of  the  men  had  his  arm  severely  bitten  by  the  savage 
\ittle  beast. 

It  proved  to  be  a  young  female.  Unhappily,  she  lived 
but  ten  days  after  capture.  She  persistently  refused  to 
eat  any  cooked  food,  or  any  thing  else  except  the  nuts 
and  berries  which  they  eat  in  the  forest.  She  was  not 
so  ferocious  as  "  Fighting  Joe,"  but  was  quite  as  treach- 
erous and  <mite  as  untamable.  She  permitted  no  one  to 
approach  her  without  trying  to  bite.  Her  eyes  seemed 
somewhat  milder  than  Joe's,  but  had  the  same  gloomy 
and  treacherous  look,  and  she  had  the  same  way  as  Joe 
of  looking  you  straight  in  the  eyes  when  she  was  medi- 
tating an  attack.  I  remarked  in  her  also  the  same  ma- 
noeuvre practiced  by  the  other  when  she  wishecl  to  seize 
something — my  leg,  for  instance,  which,  by  reason  of  the 
chain  around  her  neck,  she  could  not  reach  with  her  arm. 
She  would  look  me  straight  in  the  face,  then  quick  as  a 
flash  would  throw  her  body  on  one  leg  and  one  arm, 
and  reach  out  with  the  other  leg.  Several  times  I  had 
narrow  escapes  from  the  grip  of  her  strong  big  toe.  I 
thought  sometimes  that  when  she  looked  at  me  she  ap- 
peared cross-eyed,  but  of  this  I  could  not  make  certain. 
All  her  motions  were  remarkably  quick,  and  her  strength 
was  very  great,  though  she  was  so  small. 


A  TRIAL  BY  ORDEAL. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

\OYAGE     UP    THE    RIVER. WE    BUILD    A    VILLAGE     NEAR 

OBINDJI. —  QUENGUEZA'S  PLAN  FOR  KEEPING  THE   s\r,- 

BATH. — KINDNESS  OF  THE  NATIVES. A  TRIAL  BY  ORDEAL. 

KING  QUENGUEZA  accompanied  me  on  my  voyage  up 
the  Rembo  and  Ovenga  Rivers.  We  were  followed  1  >y  a 
great  many  canoes,  and  by  chiefs  of  the  Ashira  and 
Bakalai  tribes.  We  were  going  to  the  Bakalai  country. 
The  weather  was  intensely  hot ;  even  the  negroes  suffer- 
ed ;  and,  though  I  had  a  thick  umbrella  over  my  head, 
and  sat  quite  still,  I  had  f  reqiie?itly  to  bathe  my  head 
and  keep  net  handkerchiefs  in  my  banana  hat ;  for  I 
feared  a  sunstroke. 

The  river  was  narrow  and  deep,  flowing  generally  be- 
tween high  lands  and  hills,  and  now  and  then  in  the 
midst  of  flats. 


VILLAGE  OF  OBINDJI.— CEREMONIES.  267 

Every  body  complained  except  Macondai.  He  was 
the  most  spirited  little  negro  I  ever  saw — a  real  little 
hero.  I  tell  you  that  many,  very  many,  of  these  African 
boys  have  a  good  deal  of  pluck,  although  they  are  black. 

Two  days  after  starting  we  arrived,  a  little,  before  sun- 
set, at  the  village  of  Obindji,  a  Bakalai  chief  who  was  a 
great  friend  of  Quengueza.  -Wherever  we  passed  a 
Bakalai  village  the  people  rushed  down  to  the  banks  to 
see  me.  As  we  approached  the  village  of  Obindji,  our 
men  fired  guns  and  sang  songs.  Obindji  came  down  in 
great  state,  dressed  in  his  silk  hat,  a  shirt,  and  a  nice 
cloth.  He  was  ringing  his  kendo — a  bell,  which  is  the 
insignia  of  kingship  there — a  sort  of  royal  sceptre.  The 
high-crowned  silk  hat,  also,  as  I  have  said  before,  is  worn 
only  by  the  chiefs. 

I  said  to  Obindji, "Why  do  you  ring  your  kendo?" 

He  replied,  "  Obindji's  heart  is  glad,  and  he  thanks  his 
Mboundji  (a  spirit)  that  he  has  to-day  come  up  higher 
than  he  ever  stood  before — a  ntangani  (white  man)  has 
come  to  see  Obindji." 

When  we  had  landed,  and  the  two  kings  and  I  were 
seated  on  the  stools  used  in  that  country,  the  grand  re- 
ception began.  Quengueza  gave  to  his  friend  Obindjij 
and  to  all  the  Bakalai  who  surrounded  us,  an  account  of 
his  entire  intercourse  with  me,  from  the  time  he  came 
down  to  see  me  at  the  sea-shore  to  the  present  hour. 

Then  Obindji  replied,  giving,  in  like  manner  (in  short 
sentences),  a  statement  of  his  feelings  when  he  heard 
that  Quengueza  was  to  bring  a  ntangani  to  see  him. 
This  closed  the  conference. 

The  village  of  Obindji  was  small,  and  was  beautifully 
situated  at  the  foot  of  a  high  hill,  just  on  the  ban 


268  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

the  Ovenga.  The  Ovenga  River  belonged  to  Quengueza, 
and,  except  at  its  head  waters,  it  had  been  inhabited  by 
the  Bakalai  only  since  the  time  of  Qnengueza's  eldest 
brother,  whom  he  had  succeeded.  These  Bakalai  are 
very  warlike;  they  are  much  dreaded  by  the  other  tribes. 

The  region  of  the  Ovenga  is  a  grand  and  wild  country. 
It  consists  of  hills  and  mountains,  covered  with  impen- 
etrable forests,  which  teem  with  all  kinds  of  insects. 
Many  animals,  curious  birds,  and  a  great  number  of 
snakes  are  found  there,  together  with  those  extraordi- 
nary ants,  the  Bashikouay.  There  also  are  the  chimpan- 
zees and  gorillas. 

As  I  intended  to  remain  some  time  I  set  about  build- 
ing another  village.  The  men  all  went  into  the  forest 
to  collect  bark,  palm  leaves,  and  posts. 

When  Sunday  came,  I  requested  Quengueza  to  make 
the  men  rest  on  this  day,  explaining  to  him  that  white 
men  do  not  work  on  the  Sabbath. 

The  old  man  was  puzzled  for  a  moment,  and  then  said, 
"  We  are  much  hurried  now.  Suppose  you  put  off  the 
Sunday  for  three  or  four  weeks.  Then  we  can  have  as 
many  Sundays  as  you  want.  We  wrill  keep  four  or  five 
days  following  each  other  as  Sundays.  It  will  be  just 
the  same." 

He  seemed  quite  proud  of  his  discovery,  and  was  quite 
disappointed  when  I  told  him  it  would  not  do. 

I  worked  very  hard  in  building  my  house.  The  labor 
was  the  more  trying  because  the  heat  was  so  intense; 
there  was  not  a  breath  of  wind  in  this  Bakalai  country. 
Besides,  the  fever  had  got  hold  of  me  again ;  but  I  did 
not  give  way  to  it. 

Obindji  became  very  friendly  to  me.     I  may  say  that 


NEGRO  FRIENDS.— THE  ORDEAL.  269 

all  these  negroes  seemed  to  take  a  liking  for  me.  I  made 
quite  a  number  of  friends  among  the  Bakalai.  Two  of 
them,  indeed,  were  very  dear  friends  of  mine ;  they  were 
called  Malaouen  and  Querlf  iraen.  I  really  do  not  know 
which  of  the  two  I  liked  the  best.  They  were  ready  to 
do  any  thing  I  wished  them  to  do.  If  I  proposed  a 
hunt,  they  immediately  offered  to  accompany  me ;  if  they 
killed  game,  they  presented  me  with  the  best  piece. 
Their  wives  were  sure  to  bring  me,  almost  every  day, 
sugar-cane,  plantain,  or  something  else.  As  for  Obindji, 
he  did  all  in  his  power  to  please  me.  Moreover,  Quen- 
gueza  was  always  close  to  me.  He  said  that  wherever  I 
went  he  would  follow  me,  and  build  his  shed  by  the  side 
of  mine.  I  was  now  Quengueza's  white  man  and  Obind- 
ji's  white  man.  They  all  seemed  to  take  pride  in  me.  I 
am  sure  I  also  tried  my  best  to  be  kind  to  them.  Above 
all  things,  I  wanted  them  to  believe  my  word  implicitly. 
Hence,  whatever  I  promised,  I  kept  my  word.  They  no- 
ticed this,  and  therefore  no  one  doubted  me.  These  poor 
people,  though  they  had  no  word  to  describe  "  an  honest 
man,"  know  the  difference  between  lying  and  truth-tell- 
ing ;  and  they  appreciate  truthfulness. 

One  day  I  saw  a  trial  by  ordeal  performed.  A  little 
boy,  a  son  of  Aquailai,  the  doctor  who  had  driven  the 
aniemba,  or  witch,  from  the  main  street  at  Goumbi,  re- 
ported that  one  of  QiTengueza's  men  had  damaged  a  Ba- 
kalai's  canoe.  The  owner  demanded  compensation  for 
the  injury.  The  Goumbi  men  denied  that  he  had  in- 
jured the  canoe,  and  asked  for  trial.  An  Ashira  doctor 
who  was  in  the  village  was  called.  He  said  that  the 
only  way  to  make  the  truth  appear  was  by  the  trial  of 
the  ring  boiled  in  oil.  Thereupon  the  Bakalai  and  the 


270  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

( Jninnbi  men  gathered  together,  and  the  trial  was  at  once 
made. 

The  Ashira  doctor  stuck  three  little  billets  of  wood 
into  the  ground,  with  their  top  ends  together ;  then  lie 
piled  some  smaller  pieces  between,  till  all  were  laid  as 
high  as  the  three  pieces.  A  native  earthenware  pot,  half 
full  of  palm  oil,  was  set  upon  the  wood,  which  had  been 
set  on  fire ;  and  the  oil  was  set  on  fire  also.  When  it  had 
burned  up  brightly,  a  brass  bracelet  or  ring  from  the  doc- 
tor's hand  was  cast  into  the  pot,  The  doctor  stood  by 
with  a  little  vase  full  of  grass  soaked  in  water,  of  which 
he  threw  in,  now  and  then,  some  bits.  This  made  the 
oil  blaze  up  afresh.  At  last  all  was  burned  out,  and  now 
came  the  trial.  The  accuser,  the  little  boy,  was  required 
at  once  to  take  the  ring  out  of  the  pot.  He  hesitated, 
but  was  pushed  on  by  his  father.  The  people  cried  out, 
"  Let  us  see  whether  he  lied  or  told  the  truth."  Finally 
he  put  his  hand  in  and  seized  the  almost  red-hot  ring, 
but  quickly  dropped  it,  having  severely  burned  his  fin- 
gers. At  this  there  was  a  shout,  "  He  lied !  lie  lied  !" 
and  the  Goumbi  man  was  declared  innocent.  I  ventured 
to  suggest  that  he  also  would  burn  his  fingers  if  he 
touched  the  ring,  but  nobody  seemed  to  consider  this 
view  of  the  subject. 


MEETING    THE   GORILLA. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE   KOOLOO-KAMBA. — THE    GOUAMBA,  OR  MEAT-IITJNGEK. — • 

E  XPLORING     THE    FOKEST. GORILLA-HUNTING. WITHIN 

EIGHT   YARDS    OF    A   LARGE    GORILLA. HE    ROARS    WITH 

RAGE   AND   MARCHES   UPON   US. 

WE  established  ourselves  in  a  deserted  Bakalai  village 
a  few  miles  from  the  banks  of  the  Ovenga,  and  about  ten 
miles  above  Obindji.  I  was  glad  that  I  had  no  olako  to 
build. 

There  were  with  me  several  Bakalai,  among  whom,  of 
course,  were  my  good  friends  Querlaouen  and  Malaouen. 
Gambo  was  also  one  of  our  party. 

After  our  camp  was  arranged  we  went  out  to  look  for 


STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

gorilla  tracks.  It  was  too  late  to  hunt ;  besides,  we  were 
too  tired.  In  the  evening  Malaouen  came  in  after  dark, 
and  said  he  had  heard  the  cry  of  the  kooloo,  and  knew 
where  to  find  it  in  the  morning. 

Of  course  I  asked  what  this  kooloo  was,  for  I  had  not 
the  slightest  idea  of  what  he  meant.  I  had  never  heard 
the  name  before.  I  received,  in  answer,  a  descripti<  m  of 
the  animal,  which  threw  me  into  the  greatest  excitement ; 
for  I  saw  this  was  most  certainly  a  new  species  of  ape, 
or  man-like  monkey — a  new  man  of  the  woods,  of  which 
I  had  not  even  heard  as  }ret.  It  was  called  kooloo-kamba 
by  the  Goumbi  people  from  its  cry  or  call, "  Kooloo,"  and 
the  Commi  word  kamba,  which  means  "speak."  The 
Bakalai  call  it  simply  koala. 

I  scarce  slept  all  night,  with  fidgeting  over  the  mor- 
row's prospects.  The  Bakalai  said  the  kooloo-kamba  was 
very  rare  here,  and  there  was  only  a  chance  that  we 
should  find  the  one  whose  call  had  been  heard. 

At  last  the  tedious  night  was  gone.  At  the  earliest 
streak  of  dawn  I  had  my  men  up.  We  had  fixed  our 
guns  the  night  before.  All  was  ready,  and  we  set  out  in 
two  parties.  My  party  had  been  walking  through  the 
forest  about  an  hour  by  a  path  which  led  I  knew  not 
where,  when  suddsnly  I  stepped  into  a  file  of  Bashikouay 
ants,  whose  fierce  bites  nearly  made  me  scream.  The 
little  rascals  were  infuriated  at  my  disturbance  of  their 
progress,  and  they  held  on  to  my  legs  and  to  my  trowM-r.- 
till  I  picked  them  off.  Of  course  I  jumped  nimbly  out 
of  the  way  of  the  great  army  of  which  they  formed  part, 
but  I  did  not  get  off  without  some  severe  bites. 

We  had  hardly  got  clear  of  the  Bashikouays  when  my 
ears  were  saluted  by  the  singular  cry  of  the  ape  I  was 


THE  KOOLOO-KAMBA.  273 

after.  "  Koola-kooloo,  koola-kooloo,"  it  said  several  times. 
Only  Gambo  and  Malaouen  were  with  me.  Gambo  and 
I  raised  our  eyes,  and  saw,  high  up  on  a  tree-branch,  a 
large  ape.  It  looked  almost  like  a  black  hairy  man.  We 
both  fired  at  once,  and  the  next  moment  the  poor  beast 
fell  with  a  heavy  crash  to  the  ground.  I  rushed  up,  anx- 
ious to  see  if,  indeed,  I  had  a  new  animal.  I  saw  in  a 
moment  that  it  was  neither  a  nshiego  mbouve,  nor  a  com- 
mon chimpanzee,  nor  a  gorilla.  Again  I  had  a  happy 
day.  This  kooloo-kamba  was  undoubtedly  a  newr  varie- 
ty of  chimpanzee. 

We  at  once  disemboweled  the  animal,  wrhich  was  a 
full-grown  male.  We  found  in  his  stomach  nothing  but 
berries,  nuts,  and  fruits.  lie  had,  no  doubt,  just  begun 
to  take  his  breakfast. 

This  kooloo-kamba  was  four  feet  three  inches  high. 
He  was  powerfully  built,  with  strong  and  square  shoul- 
ders, lie  had  a  very  round  head,  with  whiskers  running 
quite  round  the  face  and  below  the  chin.  The  face  was 
round  ;  the  cheek-bones  prominent ;  the  cheeks  sunken. 
The  roundness  of  the  head,  and  the  prominence  of  the 
cheek-bones,  were  so  great  as  to  remind  me  of  some  of  the 
heads  of  Indians  or  Chinamen.  The  hair  was  black  and 
long  on  the  arms,  which,  however,  were  partly  bare.  His 
ears  were  large,  and  shaped  like  those  of  a  human  being. 
Of  its  habits  the  people  could  tell  me  nothing,  except 
that  it  was  found  more  frequently  in  the  far  interior.  I 
brought  the  skin  of  this  kooloo-kamba  to  New  York,  and 
some  years  ago  many  people  saw  it. 

On  our  return  to  Obindji  wre  were  overtaken  by  my 
good  friend  Querlaouen,  who  had  shot  a  wild  pig,  of  which 

the  good  fellowr  gave  me  half.     The  negroes  feasted  on 
18 


STORIES  Or  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

the  kooloo  meat,  which  I  could  not  touch.  So  the  pig 
was  welcome  to  me,  as  indeed  it  was  to  Quengueza,  whom 
we  found  almost  crying  with  an  affection  which  is  com- 
mon in  this  part  of  Africa,  and  is  called  gouamba,  but 
for  which  we  happily  have  no  name.  Gouamba  is  the 
inordinate  longing  and  craving  of  exhausted  nature  for 
meat,  for  days,  and  sometimes  for  weeks,  a  man  does 
not  get  any  meat  at  all,  and  whenever  other  food  is 
brought  before  him,  you  will  hear  him  say,  looking  at 
the  food  with  disgust, "  Gouamba,"  which  means,  liter- 
ally, "  I  am  sick  of  food ;  I  have  a  craving  for  meat ;  I 
care  for  nothing  else." 

I  had  some  glorious  gorilla-hunting  while  in  the  Baka- 
lai  country,  in  the  upper  regions  of  the  Ovenga  River. 
Malaouen,  Querlaouen,  Gambo,  and  I  often  started  out 
together,  and  remained  for  days  in  the  thickest  part  of 
the  forest.  Now  and  then  we  would  return  to  Obindji 
to  get  a  supply  of  plantain,  and  then  would  go  off  again. 
We  roamed  over  the  forest  in  all  directions ;  we  explored 
some  new  regions ;  and  sometimes  we  got  lost  in  the 
midst  of  impenetrable  mountains,  where  often  for  days 
we  killed  nothing. 

In  these  excursions  we  suffered  sometimes  a  good  deal, 
for  we  had  to  endure  many  hardships.  We  often  had 
very  poor  fare,  and  fever  sometimes  prostrated  me. 

One  day,  I  remember  well,  we  were  out  for  gorillas, 
which  we  knew  were  to  be  found  thereabouts  by  the 
presence  of  a  pulpy  pear-shaped  fruit,  the  tondo,  of  which 
the  animal  is  very  fond.  I  also  am  very  fond  of  the  sub- 
dued and  grateful  acid  of  this  fruit,  which  is  eaten  by  the 
negroes  as  well  as  by  the  gorilla 

We  found  every  where  gorilla-marks,  and  so  recent 


A  GORILLA  ADVANCES  UPON  US.  275 

that  we  began  to  think  the  animals  must  be  avoiding  us. 
This  was  really  the  case,  I  believe,  though  I  am  not  sure. 
At  any  rate,  we  beat  the  bush  for  two  hours  before,  at 
last,  we  found  the  game.  Suddenly  an  immense  gorilla 
advanced  out  of  the  wood  straight  toward  us,  and  gave 
vent,  as  he  came  up,  to  a  terrible  howl  of  rage,  as  much  as 
to  say, "  I  am  tired  of  being  pursued,  and  will  face  you." 

It  was  a  lone  male,  the  kind  which  are  always  most 
ferocious.  This  fellow  made  the  woods  resound  with 
his  roar,  which  is  really  an  awful  sound,  resembling  very 
much  the  rolling  and  muttering  of  distant  thunder. 

lie  was  about  twenty  yards  off  when  we  first  saw  him. 
AVe  at  once  gathered  together ;  and  I  was  about  to  take 
aim  and  bring  him  down  where  he  stood,  when  Malaouen 
stopped  me,  saying  in  a  whisper, "  Not  time  yet." 

We  stood,  therefore,  in  silence,  gun  in  hand.  The  go- 
rilla looked  at  us  for  a  minute  or  so  out  of  his  evil  gray 
eyes,  then  beat  his  breast  with  his  gigantic  arms — and 
what  arms  he  had ! — then  he  gave  another  howl  of  defi- 
ance, and  advanced  upon  us.  How  horrible  he  looked  ! 
I  si  mil  never  forget  it. 

Again  he  stopped,  not  more  than  fifteen  yards  away. 
Still  Malaouen  said  "  Not  yet."  Good  gracious !  what  is 
to  become  of  us  if  our  guns  miss  fire,  or  if  we  only  wound 
the  huge  beast  ? 

Again  the  gorilla  made  an  advance  upon  us.  Now  he 
was  not  twelve  yards  off.  I  could  see  plainly  his  fero- 
cious face.  It  was  distorted  with  rage  ;  his  huge  teeth 
were  ground  against  each  other,  so  that  we  could  hear 
the  sound ;  the  skin  of  the  forehead  was  drawn  forward 
and  back  rapidly,  which  made  his  hair  move  up  and 
down,  and  gave  a  truly  devilish  expression  to  the  hide 


276          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

ous  face.  Once  more  he  gave  out  a  roar,  which  seemed 
to  shake  the  woods  like  thunder;  I  could  really  feel  the 
earth  trembling  under  my  feet.  The  gorilla,  looking  us 
in  the  eyes,  and  beating  his  breast,  advanced  again. 

"  Don't  tire  too  soon,"  said  Malaouen ;  "  if  you  do  not 
kill  him,  he  will  kill  you." 

This  time  lie  came  within  eight  yards  of  us  before 
he  stopped.  I  was  breathing  fast  with  excitement  as  I 
watched  the  huge  beast. 

Malaouen  said  only  "  Steady"  as  the  gorilla  came  up. 
When  he  stopped,  Malaouen  said  "  Now !"  And  before 
he  could  utter  the  roar  for  which  he  was  opening  his 
mouth,  three  musket-balls  were  in  his  body.  lie  fell 
dead  almost  without  a  struggle. 

He  was  a  monstrous  beast  indeed,  though  not  among 
the  tallest.  His  height  was  five  feet  six  inches.  II is 
arms  had  a  spread  of  seven  feet  two  inches.  His  broad 
brawny  chest  measured  fifty  inches  round.  The  big  toe 
of  his  foot  measured  five  inches  and  three  quarters  in 
circumference.  His  arms  seemed  like  immense  bunches 
of  muscle  only ;  and  his  legs  and  claw-like  feet  were  so 
well  fitted  for  grabbing  and  holding,  that  I  could  see 
how  easy  it  was  for  the  negroes  to  believe  that  these  an- 
imals, when  they  conceal  themselves  in  trees  and  watch 
for  prey,  can  seize  and  pull  up  with  their  feet  any  living 
thing,  leopard,  ox,  or  man,  that  passes  beneath. 

The  face  of  this  gorilla  was  intensely  black.  The  vast 
chest,  which  proved  his  great  power,  was  bare,  and  cov- 
ered with  a  parchment-like  skin.  His  body  was  covered 
with  gray  hair.  While  the  animal  approached  us  in  its 
fierce  way,  walking  on  its  hind  legs  and  facing  us  as  few 
animals  dare  face  man,  it  really  seemed  to  me  to  be  a  hor- 
rid likeness  of  man. 


MEETING  OP  THK 


CIIAPTEH  XXXY. 

WE    GO    UP    THE    RIVER    TO    N'CALAl    BOUMBA. A    SEVERE 

ATTACK  OF  FEVER. THE  TENDER  CARE  OF  THE   NATIVES 

FOR    ME. AGUAILAI   ACCUSES    HIS    PEOPLE   OF   BEWITCH- 
ING   ME. 1   GO    OUT   AND   QUIET   HIM. A   BOY  CUT  TO 

PIECES  FOR  WITCHCRAFT. A  USEFUL  IDOL. THE  EBONY- 
TREES. 

WITH  Qnengueza  I  resumed  the  ascent  of  the  Kivei 
Ovenga.  We  were  bound  to  the  town  of  a  chief  named 
Aguailai.  The  place  was  called  N'calai  Boumba. 

"We  left  Obinclji  early  in  the  morning.  On  the  way 
we  passed  several  Bakalai  villages,  the  largest  of  which, 
Kpopo,  I  afterward  visited.  The  river  banks,  all  the 
way  up,  were  densely  wooded,  but  very  sparsely  inhabit- 
ed by  beasts.  "We  saw  no  animals  the  whole  day  except 
one  monkey  and  a  few  birds. 


278          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY 

Aguailai,  who  was  one  of  the  vassals  of  Quengueza, 
and  a  powerful  Bakalai  chief,  and  whom  I  had  met  at 
Obindji's,  received  us  well. 

Aguailai's  town  is  the  hottest  place  I  ever  saw  in 
Africa.  N'calai  Boumba  was  set  in  a  hollow,  and  the 
houses  were  so  small  and  close  as  to  be  quite  imend in- 
able  to  me.  The  village  was  only  a  little  more  than  a. 
year  old.  The  people  had  come  lately  from  the  interior. 
Plantations  of  plantains  were  very  abundant. 

Toward  the  end  of  April  I  was  brought  down  to  my 
bed  with  fever.  This  wras  the  severest  attack  I  had  u-t 
experienced  in  Africa.  It  entirely  prostrated  me.  I 
looked  like  a  corpse.  Not  a  single  particle  of  color 
could  be  seen  on  my  face.  I  had  no  strength.  I  could 
not  eat.  I  could  not  walk. 

For  three  days  I  had  violent  returns  of  the  fever. 
The  blood  rushed  to  my  head,  and  my  mind  wandered 
at  times;  so  the  natives  told  me.  Of  course  I  can  not 
remember  what  I  said.  I  only  know  that  my  head 
burned  like  fire,  and  that  I  was  almost  mad  with  pain. 
Between  the  attacks  of  fever  I  really  thought  I  should 
die,  and  I  commended  my  soul  to  God. 

While  I  lay  sick,  people  came  and  entreated  me  not 
to  hunt  so  much  and  so  constantly.  They  said,  "  Look 
at  us ;  we  hunt  one  day ;  we  rest  two.  When  we  hunt 
three  days,  we  rest  for  many  days  after  it.  But  you  go 
out  every  day." 

I  thought  to  myself,  they  are  right,  and  I  shall  follow 
their  rule  hereafter.  But  it  was  hard  to  do  so ;  for  I 
felt  that  no  one  else  was  in  the  field  ;  that  in  such  an 
unhealthy  climate  no  one  can  live  very  long,  and  I  want- 
ed to  do  as  much  work  as  I  could.  I  wanted  to  bring 


SICK.— TENDER  CARE  OF  THE  NATIVES.        279 

all  the  wonders  of  that  part  of  the  world  to  light ;  and 
I  felt  that  I  was  getting  older  and  older,  and  there  was 
yet  very  much  work  to  be  done.  So  I  prayed  God  to 
give  me  strength  for  the  work  that  was  intrusted  to  my 
Hands. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  kindness  of  those  native  wom- 
en to  me  while  I  was  sick.  Poor  souls !  they  are  sadly 
abused  by  their  task-masters.  They  are  the  merest  slaves. 
They  have  to  do  all  the  drudgery.  They  receive  blows 
and  ill  usage.  And  yet,  at  the  sight  of  suffering,  their 
hearts  soften,  just  as  women's  hearts  soften  in  our  own 
more  civilized  lands.  No  sooner  did  sickness  attack  me 
than  these  kind  souls  came  to  nurse  and  take  care  of  me. 
They  sat  by  me  to  fan  me ;  they  brought  more  mats  for 
my  bed ;  they  bathed  my  burning  head  with  cold  water; 
they  got  me  refreshing  fruits  from  the  woods.  At  night, 
when  I  woke  up  from  a  feverish  dream,  I  used  to  hear 
their  voices,  as  they  sat  around  in  the  darkness,  pitying 
me  and  contriving  ways  to  cure  me. 

When  I  think  of  these  things  I  can  not  help  thanking 
God  for  them ;  that,  wherever  I  have  gone,  lie  has  made 
human  hearts  tender  and  kind  to  me ;  that,  even  under 
the  black  skin  of  the  benighted  and  savage  African,  He 
has  implanted  something  of  His  own  compassionate  love. 

Aguailai  and  Quengueza  were  sadly  alarmed  at  my 
illness.  Aguailai  accused  his  people  of  wickedly  be- 
witching me.  One  still  night  he  walked  up  and  down 
the  village,  threatening,  in  a  loud  voice,  to  kill  the  sor- 
cerers if  he  could  only  find  them.  I  had  to  get  up  and 
tell  Aguailai  that  I  was  sure  his  people  and  the  Bakalai 
loved  me  too  much  to  wish  me  to  be  sick,  whereupon 
they  all  shouted  at  once, "  It  is  so ;  it  is  so." 


280          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

After  a  few  days  I  was  able  to  walk  again  a  little, 
and  I  went  and  lived  in  the  forest,  where  I  suffered  less 
from  the  heat  than  in  our  little  houses. 

How  sorry  I  often  felt  that  these  kind-hearted  ne- 
groes were  given  to  superstitions  which  led  them  to 
commit  the  most  horrid  cruelties.  A  little  boy,  about 
ten  years  old,  had  been  accused  of  sorcery.  On  being 
examined,  he  confessed  that  he  had  made  a  witch. 
Thereupon  the  whole  town  seemed  to  be  seized  with  the 
ferocity  of  devils.  They  took  spears  and  knives,  and 
actually  cut  the  poor  little  fellow  to  pieces.  I  had  been 
walking  out,  and  returned  just  as  the  dreadful  scone 
was  over.  I  could  not  even  make  the  wretched  men  feel 
shame  at  their  bloody  act.  They  were  still  frantic  with 
rage  at  the  thought  that  this  little  fellow  had  made  a 
witch  to  kill  some  of  them,  and  they  were  not  quiet  for 
some  hours  after. 

I  felt  so  badly  that  I  went  into  the  woods,  and  took 
the  path  that  led  to  the  village  of  Npopo,  which  was  not 
far  distant  from  N'calai  Boumba.  I  wranted  to  see  if 
the  people  had  returned ;  I  wanted  to  see  Aguailai  the 
chief.  He  was  the  doctor  who  had  come  to  Goumoi  to 
drive  off  the  aniemba.  When  I  went  down  to  Npopo 
the  first  time  I  found  the  people  all  gone  into  the  bush. 
Every  thing  was  open  and  exposed  to  thieves ;  chickens 
and  goats  were  walking  about ;  and  I  wondered  to  see 
such  carelessness  in  the  village.  But  in  the  centre,  look- 
ing down  on  every  thing,  stood  the  mbuiti,  or  god  of 
Kpopo,  a  copper-eyed  divinity,  who,  I  was  informed, 
safely  guarded  every  thing.  It  seemed  absurd ;  but  I 
was  assured  that  no  one  dared  steal,  and  no  one  did  steal, 
with  the  eyes  of  this  mbuiti  upon  him. 


START  FOR  THE  EBONY  WOODS.  281 

This  uncommonly  useful  idol  was  a  rudely-shaped 
piece  of  ebony,  about  two  feet  high,  with  a  man's  face, 
the  nose  and  eyes  of  copper,  and  the  body  covered  with 
grass. 

At  last  we  started  for  the  ebony  woods.  Our  new 
location  was  about  nine  miles  from  the  river,  on  the  side 
of  a  long  hill,  and  close  by  where  a  cool  sparkling  rivu- 
let leaped  from  rock  to  rock  down  into  the  plain,  making 
the  pleasantest  of  music  for  me  as  I  lay,  weak  and  sick, 
in  the  camp.  Five  huge  ebony-trees  lifted  their  crown- 
ed heads  together  in  a  little  knot  just  above  us.  All 
around  were  pleasant  and  shady  woods.  It  was  a  very 
pleasant  camp,  but  proved  to  have  one  drawback — we 
nearly  starved  to  death.  I  sent  out  the  hunters  imme- 
diately on  our  arrival.  They  were  gone  two  days,  but 
brought  back  nothing.  Game  was  very  scarce  there; 
and,  without  an  ashinga,  or  net,  such  as  many  Bakalai 
villages  have,  not  much  was  to  be  got. 


CHAPTEE  XXXYI. 

HUNTING  FOR  FOOD. WE  KILL  A  FEMALE  NSHIEGO  MEOWE. 

A  YOUNG  NSHIEGO  WITH  A  WHITE  FACE. HE  BECOMKM 

MY   PET   TOMMY. HIS    AFFECTION   FOK  ME. HIS    STEAL 

ING   PKANKS. TOMMY    GETS   DRUNK. HIS   BEHAVIOR  AT 

MEALS. — HIS    SUDDEN   DEATH. CONCLUSION. 

AT  last  I  got  better.  I  could  not  stand  hunger  and 
gcuainba  any  longer,  and  determined  to  make  up  a  reg- 
ular hunting-party,  and  stay  out  till  we  got  something  to 
eat.  Malaouen  told  me  that  if  we  went  off  about  twenty 
miles  we  should  come  to  a  better  game  country.  So  we 
started  in  the  direction  he  pointed  out,  and  where  he 
thought  we  should  find  the  gorilla,  or  perhaps  the  nshiego 
mbouve'. 

The  men  were  covered  with  greegrees,  or  fetiches,  and 
had  cut  their  hands  for  luck.  Aguailai  told  me  that  his 
ogana  (idol)  had  told  him  that  to-morrow  the  heart  of 
the  otanga  (the  white  man)  would  be  made  glad,  for  we 
should  kill  game. 

For  some  hours  after  we  started  we  saw  nothing  but 
old  tracks  of  different  wild  beasts,  and  I  began  to  think 
that  Aguailai's  ogana  had  been  too  sanguine.  Finally, 
toward  twelve  o'clock,  when  we  were  crossing  a  kind  of 
high  table -land,  we  heard  the  cry  of  a  young  animal, 
which  we  recognized  to  be  a  nshiego  mbouve'.  At  once 
all  my  troubles  left  me.  I  no  longer  felt  either  sick  or 
hungry. 


A  WHITE-FACED  NSHIEGO  MBOVVE.  285 

"We  crawled  through  the  bush  as  silently  as  possible, 
still  hearing  the  baby-like  cry.  At  last,  coming  out  into 
a  little  place  where  there  was  very  little  undergrowth, 
we  saw  something  running  along  the  ground  toward 
where  we  stood  concealed.  We  hardly  dared  to  breathe 
for  fear  of  awakening  the  animal's  suspicions. 

When  it  came  nearer,  we  saw  it  was  a  female  nshiego 
mbouve,  running  on  all-fours,  with  a  young  one  clinging 
to  her  breast.  She  was  eagerly  eating  some  berries,  while 
with  one  arm  she  supported  her  little  one. 

Querlaouen,  who  had  the  fairest  chance,  fired,  and 
brought  her  down.  She  dropped  without  a  struggle. 
The  poor  little  one  cried  "Hew!  hew!  hew!"  and  clung 
to  the  dead  body,  sucking  her  breasts,  and  burying  his 
head  there,  in  alarm  at  the  report  of  the  gun. 

We  hurried  up  in  great  glee  to  secure  our  capture.  I 
can  not  tell  my  surprise  when  I  saw  that  the  nshiego 
baby's  face  was  as  white  as  that  of  a  white  child. 

I  looked  at  the  mother,  but  found  her  black  as  soot 
in  the  face.  What  did  it  mean  ? — the  mother  black,  the 
child  white !  The  little  one  wras  about  a  foot  in  height. 
One  of  the  men  threw  a  cloth  over  its  head,  and  secured 
it  till  we  could  make  it  fast  with  a  rope ;  for,  though  it 
was  quite  young,  it  could  walk.  The  old  one  was  of  the 
bald-headed  kind,  of  which  I  had  secured  the  first  knowTi 
specimen  some  months  before. 

I  immediately  ordered  a  return  to  the  camp,  which  we 
reached  toward  evening.  The  little  nshiego  had  been 
all  this  time  separated  from  its  dead  mother,  and  now, 
when  it  was  put  near  her  body,  a  most  touching  scene 
ensued.  The  little  fellow  ran  instantly  to  her.  Touching 
her  on  the  face  and  breast,  he  saw  evidently  that  some 


280  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

great  change  had  happened.  For  a  few  minutes  he  ca< 
ressed  her,  as  though  trying  to  coax  her  back  to  life. 
Then  he  seemed  to  lose  all  hope.  His  little  eyes  became 
very  sad,  and  he  broke  out  in  a  long,  plaintive  wail, 
"  Ooee !  ooee !  ooee !"  which  made  my  heart  ache  for 
him.  He  looked  quite  forlorn,  and  as  though  he  really 
felt  his  forsaken  lot.  All  in  the  camp  were  touched 
at  his  sorrows,  and  the  women  especially  were  much 
moved. 

All  this  time  I  stood  wonderingly  staring  at  the  white 
face  of  the  creature.  It  was  really  marvelous,  and  quite 
incomprehensible.  A  more  strange  and  weird -look  ing 
animal  I  never  saw. 

While  I  stood  there,  up  came  two  of  my  hunters  and 
began  to  laugh  at  me.  "  Look,  Chaillie,"  said  they,  call- 
ing me  by  the  name  I  am  known  by  among  them,''  look 
at  your  friend.  Every  time  we  kill  gorilla,  you  tell  us 
look  at  your  black  friend,  your  first  cousin.  Kow,  ymi 
see,  look  at  your  white  friend."  Then  came  a  roar  of 
laughter  at  what  they  thought  a  tremendous  joke. 

"  Look !  he  got  straight  hair,  all  same  as  you !  See 
white  face  of  your  cousin  from  the  bush !  He  is  nearer 
to  you  than  the  gorilla  is  to  us !" 

Then  they  roared  again. 

"  Gorilla  no  got  woolly  hair  like  me.  This  one  straight 
liaJr  like  you.'' 

"  }fes,'  said  I;  "but  when  he  gets  old  his  face  is 
black ;  and  do  you  not  see  his  nose,  how  flat  it  is,  like 
yours  ?" 

Whereat  there  was  a  louder  roar  than  before. 

The  mother  was  old,  to  j  udge  by  her  teeth,  which  were 
much  worn ;  but  she  was  quite  black  in  the  face ;  in  fact. 


"TOMMY."— A  GREAT  THIEF. 

her  skin  was  black.  Like  all  the  nshiego  mbouve*,  she 
was  bald-headed. 

Xow  I  must  give  you  an  account  of  the  little  fellow 
who  excited  all  this  surprise  and  merriment.  He  lived 
five  months,  and  became  perfectly  tame  and  docile.  I 
called  him  "  Tommy,"  to  which  name  he  soon  began  to 
answer. 

Three  days  after  his  capture  he  was  quite  tame.  He 
then  ate  crackers  out  of  my  hands,  devoured  boiled  rice 
and  roasted  plantain,  and  drank  the  milk  of  a  goat. 
Two  weeks  after  his  capture  he  was  perfectly  tamed, 
and  no  longer  required  to  be  tied  up.  He  ran  about  the 
camp,  and,  when  we  went  back  to  Obindji's  town,  he 
found  his  way  about  the  village  and  into  the  huts  just 
as  though  he  had  been  raised  there. 

He  had  a  great  affection  for  me,  and  used  to  follow 
me  about.  When  I  sat  down,  he  was  not  content  till  he 
had  climbed  upon  me,  and  hid  his  head  in  my  breast. 
He  was  extremely  fond  of  being  petted  and  fondled,  and 
would  sit  by  the  hour  while  any  one  stroked  his  head  or 
back. 

He  soon  began  to  be  a  very  great  thief.  When  the 
people  left  their  huts,  he  would  steal  in,  and  make  off 
with  their  plantains  or  fish  (for  he  could  then  eat  any 
thing).  He  watched  very  carefully  till  all  had  left,  a 
house,  and  it  was  difficult  to  catch  him  in  the  act.  I 
flogged  him  several  times,  and,  indeed,  brought  him  to 
the  conviction  that  it  was  wrong  to  steal ;  but  he  could 
never  resist  the  temptation. 

From  me  he  stole  constantly.  He  soon  found  out  tfiat 
my  hut  was  the  best  supplied  with  ripe  bananas  and  oth- 
er fruit.  He  also  discovered  that  the  best  time  to  steal 


288          STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 

from  me  w^s  when  I  was  asleep  in  the  morning.  At  that 
time  he  used  to  crawl  slowly  and  carefully  on  tiptoe  to- 
ward my  bed,  and  look  at  my  closed  eyes.  If  he  saw  no 
movement,  with  an  air  of  great  relief  he  would  go  and 
pick  up  several  ripe  plantains.  If  I  stirred  in  the  least 
he  was  off  like  a  flash,  and  would  presently  re-enter  for 
another  inspection. 

If  my  eyes  were  open  when  he  came  in  on  such  a  pred- 
atory trip,  he  would  come  directly  to  me,  with  an  honest 
face,  and  wrould  climb  upon  me,  and  caress  me ;  but  I 
could  easily  detect  an  occasional  \vistful  glance  toward 
the  bunch  of  plantains. 

My  hut  had  no  door,  but  was  closed  with  a  mat.  It 
was  very  funny  to  see  Tommy  gently  raising  one  corner 
of  this  mat,  and  popping  his  head  in  to  see  if  I  was  asleep. 
Sometimes  I  feigned  sleep,  and  then  stirred  just  as  he  was 
in  the  act  of  taking  off  his  prize.  Then  he  would  drop 
every  thing,  and  make  off  in  the  utmost  consternation. 

lie  kept  the  run  of  meal-times,  and  was  present  at  as 
many  meals  as  possible ;  that  is,  he  would  go  from  my 
breakfast  to  half  a  dozen  others,  and  beg  sometimes  at 
each.  But  he  never  missed  my  own  breakfast  and  din- 
ner, knowing  by  experience  that  he  fared  best  there. 

I  had  a  kind  of  rude  table  made,  on  which  my  meals 
were  served,  in  the  open  part  of  my  house.  This  was  too 
high  for  Tommy  to  see  the  dishes,  so  he  used  to  come  in 
before  I  sat  down,  when  all  was  ready,  and  climb  up  on 
the  pole  that  supported  the  roof.  From  here  he  would 
attentively  survey  every  dish  on  the  table,  and  having 
determined  what  to  have,  he  would  descend  and  sit  down 
at  my  side.  If  I  did  not  immediately  p,  y  attention  to 
him  he  would  begin  to  howl, "  IIcw !  hew !  how  1"  loud- 


•'  TOMMY"  A  PET.  289 

er  and  louder,  till,  for  peace  sake,  his  wants  were  satis- 
fied. Of  course  I  could  not  tell  what  he  had  chosen  for 
dinner  of  my  different  dishes,  and  would  offer  him  first 
one,  then  another,  till  the  right  one  came.  If  he  received 
what  he  did  not  want,  he  would  throw  it  down  on  the 
ground  with  a  little  shriek  of  anger  and  a  stamp  of  his. 
foot,  and  begin  to  howl,  and  this  was  repeated  till  lie  was 
served  to  his  liking.  In  short,  he  behaved  very  much 
like  a  spoiled  child. 

If  I  pleased  him  quickly,  he  thanked  me  by  a  kind  of 
gentle  murmur,  like  "hoohoo,"  and  would  hold  out  his 
hand  to  shake  mine.  lie  knew  perfectly  how  to  shake 
hands.  lie  was  very  fond  of  boiled  messes,  particularly 
boiled  fish,  and  was  constantly  picking  the  bones  he  found 
lying  about  the  village.  lie  wanted  always  to  taste  of 
my  coffee,  and  when  Macondai  brought  it,  would  beg 
some  of  me  in  the  most  serious  manner. 

I  made  him  a  little  pillow  to  sleep  on,  and  he  became 
very  fond  of  it.  After  he  was  accustomed  to  it,  he  would 
never  part  with  it,  but  dragged  it  after  him  wherever  he 
went.  If  by  any  chance  it  was  lost,  the  whole  camp  knew 
it  by  his  howls.  Now  and  then,  on  some  forest  excursion, 
he  would  mislay  it,  and  then  I  had  to  send  people  for  it 
in  order  to  stop  his  noise.  At  other  times  the  people 
would  hide  it,  just  to  tease  him.  He  slept  on  it,  coiled 
up  in  a  little  heap,  and  only  relinquished  it  when  I  gave 
him  permission  to  accompany  me  into  the  woods. 

As  he  became  more  and  more  used  to  our  ways,  he 
grew  more  impatient  of  contradiction,  and  more  fond  of 
being  caressed ;  and  whenever  he  was  thwarted  he  would 
howl  in  his  disagreeable  way.  Now  and  then  I  gave  him 
a  flogging  to  teach  him  better  manners. 
19 


290  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY 

As  the  dry  season  came  on  it  became  colder,  and 
Tommy  began  to  wish  ±or  company  when  he  slept,  to 
keep  him  warm.  The  negroes  would  not  have  him  for 
a  companion,  for  he  seemed  too  much  like  one  of  them- 
selves. I  did  not  like  to  have  him  in  bed  with  me.  So 
poor  Tommy  was  reduced  to  misery,  as  he  seemed  to 
think  nobody  would  have  him.  But  soon  I  found  that 
he  waited  till  every  body  wras  fast  asleep  at  night,  ami 
then  crawled  in  softly  next  to  some  of  his  black  frieiuU 
and  slept  there  till  the  earliest  dawn.  Then  he  would 
get  up  and  get  away  undiscovered.  At  other  times  he 
felt  too  warm  and  comfortable  to  get  up,  and  was  caught 
and  beaten,  but  he  always  tried  it  again. 

lie  showed  an  extraordinary  fondness  for  strong  drink. 
Whenever  a  negro  had  palm  wine  Tommy  was  sure  t<> 
know  it.  He  had  a  decided  taste  for  Scotch  ale,  of  which 
I  had  a  few  bottles,  and  he  even  begged  for  brandy.  In- 
deed, his  last  exploit  was  with  a  brandy  bottle.  One  <la  v, 
before  going  out  to  the  hunt,  I  had  carelessly  left  the 
bottle  on  my  chest.  The  little  rascal  stole  in  and  soi/cd 
it ;  and,  being  unable  to  get  out  the  cork,  in  some  way  he 
broke  the  bottle.  When  I  returned,  after  some  hours' 
absence,  I  found  my  precious  bottle  broken  in  pieces ! 
It  was  the  last;  and  to  an  African  traveler  brandy  is  as 
indispensable  as  quinine.  Master  Tommy  was  coiled  up 
on  the  floor  amid  the  fragments  in  a  state  of  maudlin 
drunkenness.  When  he  saw  me  he  got  up,  and  tried  to 
stagger  up  to  me ;  but  his  legs  tottered,  and  he  fell  down 
several  times.  His  eyes  had  the  glare  of  human  drunk- 
enness ;  his  arms  were  extended  in  vain  attempts  to  reach 
me ;  his  voice  came  thick ;  in  fact,  he  looked  disgusting- 
ly and  yet  comically  human.  It  was  the  maudlin  and 


"TOMMY'S"  INTELLIGENCE.  291 

sentimental  stage  of  human  drunkenness  very  well  rep- 
resented. I  had  seen  men  looking  exactly  as  Tommy 
did,  and  I  wished  these  drunkards  could  have  seen  him ; 
they  might  then,  perhaps,  have  become  so  disgusted  with 
themselves  that  they  would  have  given  up  their  horrid 
vice.  I  gave  him  a  severe  thrashing,  which  seemed  to 
sober  the  little  toper  somewhat;  but  nothing  could  cure 
him  of  his  love  for  liquor. 

He  was  also  very  fond  of  tea  and  coffee,  but  wanted 
both  to  be  well  sweetened.  He  could  drink  out  of  a 
cup.  Sometimes,  to  tease  him,  I  would  not  put  in  any 
sugar;  then  he  would  throw  down  the  cup  and  begin  to 
liowl.  and  he  would  make  the  whole  place  resound  with 
his  noise. 

He  had  a  great  deal  of  intelligence ;  and,  if  I  had  had 
leisure,  I  think  I  might  have  trained  him  to  some  kind 
of  good  behavior,  though  I  despaired  of  his  thieving  dis- 
position. The  older  he  grew,  the  greater  thief  he  be- 
came. 

1 1  e  lived  so  long,  and  was  growing  so  accustomed  to 
civilized  life,  that  I  began  to  have  great  hopes  of  carry 
ing  him  alive  to  America. 

Sometimes  he  would  come  round  the  fire  where  my 
men  were,  and  warm  himself  with  them.  How  comical 
he  then  look  d!  At  other  times,  when  they  took  their 
meals,  and  ate  out  of  a  common  dish,  Master  Tommy 
would  join  the  party  ;  and  when  they  would  all  put  their 
hands  into  the  dish,  he  would  put  his  in  also,  and  take  a 
little  handful  of  cooked  and  smoked  fish.  In  fact,  he 
kept  time  with  them. 

But  alas !  poor  Tommy !  One  morning  he  refused  his 
food,  seemed  downcast,  and  was  very  anxious  to  be  pet- 


292  STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COCSTRY. 

ted,  and  held  in  our  arms.  I  got  all  kinds  of  forest  ben 
ries  for  him,  but  he  refused  all.  He  did  not  seem  to 
Buffer,  but  he  ate  nothing ;  and  next  day,  without  a  strug- 
gle, he  died.  Poor  fellow !  he  seemed  sorry  to  leave  us. 
I  was  grieved;  and  even  the  negroes,  though  he  had 
given  them  great  trouble,  were  mournful  at  his  death. 
He  had  hardly  expired  when  the  news  spread  through 
the  village  that  little  Tommy  was  no  more.  They  all 
came  to  see  him ;  he  looked  as  if  he  were  asleep. 

It  seemed  as  if  we  had  lost  a  friend.  We  missed  his 
mischief  and  noise ;  and  for  many  days  we  all  mourned 
for  Tommy,  and  wished  him  back  among  us. 

Tommy  turned  darker  as  he  grew  older.  At  the  time 
of  his  death  he  was  yellow  rather  than  white.  If  lie  had 
lived  to  be  old,  he  would,  no  doubt,  have  become  black, 
like  his  mother. 

And  now,  young  friends,  for  the  present  I  have  done. 
I  have  told  you  many  things  about  Africa,  about  its 
strange  animals,  its  terrible  gorillas,  its  savage  Canni- 
bals ;  and  all  that  I  have  told  you  is  true,  for  it  is  what 
I  have  seen  with  my  own  eyes. 

But  I  have  not  told  you  all  that  I  saw  and  heard  in 
that  far-distant  country.  I  have  many  more  singular 
sights  to  describe,  and  queer  adventures  to  recount  to 
you. 

So  I  will  not  bid  you  farewell ;  I  will  say  to  you  "An 
revoir  /"  That  means,  "  Good-by  till  I  come  again." 


THE  EXD. 


BY    SVEN    HEDIN 


THROUGH  ASIA.  With  Two  Maps  and  Four  Plates 
Printed  in  Colors,  and  about  280  Illustrations  by  the 
Author  and  from  Photographs.  Two  Volumes.  Large 
8vo,  Clotb,  Ornamental,  Uncut  Edges  and  Gilt  Tops, 
$10  00. 

Dr.  Hedin  has  certainly  shown  that  he  is  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable explorers  of  this  century,  and  this  book  is  much  the 
most  important  work  on  Central  Asia  that  has  appeared  of  recent 
years,  and  so  deserves  the  attention  of  the  specialist  and  the  gen- 
eral reader  alike. — Dial,  Chicago. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  mention  any  book  of  travel  covering  so 
extensive  a  field,  richer  in  substantial  information,  interest,  anil 
entertainment  from  beginning  to  end.  Much  of  it  is  a  revelation  ; 
there  are  few  readers  who  will  not  find  in  it  something  new  an** 
suggestive. — London  Times. 

The  countries  traversed  embrace  at  least  three  widely  differing 
regions,  a  journey  through  any  of  which,  told  as  the  author  tells 
it,  would  place  him  in  the  first  rank  of  travellers.  He  had  no  lack 
of  thrilling  adventures. — Athenaum,  London. 

Profoundly  interesting. — Academy,  London. 

We  have  never  read  a  more  fascinating  or  more  thrilling  travel- 
book. — Bookman. 

There  is  not  a  particle  of  doubt  that  in  these  magnificent  vol- 
umes we  have  the  most  important  contribution  to  Central  Asian 
geography  that  has  been  made  for  many  years. — Spectator,  Lond<*- 


tiARPER  &  BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS 

NEW  YORK  AND   LONDON 

above  work  will  be  sent  by  mail,  postage  prepaid,  to  any 
part  of  tlie  United  States,  Canada,  or  Mexico,  on  receipt  of  the  price 


BY  A.  H.  SAVAGKE  LANDOR 


IN  THE  FORBIDDEN  LAND.  An  Account  of  a 
Journey  into  Tibet,  Capture  by  the  Tibetan  Lamas  and 
Soldiers,  Imprisonment,  Torture,  and  Ultimate  Release, 
brought  about  by  Dr.  Wilson  and  the  Political  Peshkar 
Karak  Sing-Pal.  With  the  Government  Enquiry  and 
Report  and  other  Official  Documents,  by  J.  LARKIN, 
Esq.,  Deputed  by  the  Government  of  India.  With 
One  Photogravure,  Eight  Colored  Plates,  Fifty  Full- 
page  and  about  One  Hundred  and  Fifty  Text  Illustra- 
tions, and  a  Map  from  Surveys  by  the  Author.  2  Vols. 
8vo,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  Uncut  Edges  and  Gilt  Tops, 
$9  00. 

A  very  remarkable  work  from  whatever  point  of  view  it  maybe 
read,  and  one  which  will  insure  its  author  a  distinct  and  prominent 
place  among  European  travellers  of  the  nineteenth  century. — N.  Y. 
Mail  and  Express. 

It  is  a  book  easy  to  read  and  hard  to  put  down,  for  the  scene  is 
constantly  changing,  the  action  is  full  of  surprises,  and  the  de- 
scriptions of  scenery  enhance  the  significance  of  the  occurrences  de- 
scribed.— Neio  York  Tribune. 

Tibet,  the  forbidden  land,  is  not  familiar  ground,  and  an  ob- 
server as  competent  as  Mr.  Landor  has  much  to  tell  quite  apart 
from  his  thrilling  personal  experiences.  lie  writes  well,  and  his 
photographs  and  drawings  give  excellent  views  of  some  of  the 
grandest  scenery  in  the  world  and  some  of  the  most  picturesque 
things  and  people.  He  tells  a  plain  manly  tale,  without  affectation 
or  bravado,  and  it  is  a  book  that  will  be  read  with  interest  and  ex- 
citement, even  in  those  parts  of  it  which  only  describe  a  journey 
through  an  unknown  region. — London  Times. 


HARPER   &    BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS 

NEW    YORK    AND   LONDON 

The  above  work  will  be  sent  by  mail,  postage  prepaid,  to  any 
part  of  tlie  United  States,  Canada,  or  Mexico,  on  receipt  of  the  price 


BY  HENEY  M.  STANLEY 


THE  CONGO  AND  THE  FOUNDING  OF  ITS 
FREE  STATE.  A  Story  of  Work  and  Exploration. 
With  over  100  Illustrations.  Colored  Maps.  2  vols., 
8vo,  Cloth,  $7  50;  Sheep,  $950;  Half  Morocco,  $12  00. 

THROUGH  THE  DARK  CONTINENT;  or,  The 
Sources  of  the  Nile,  Around  the  Great  Lakes  of  Equa- 
torial Africa,  and  Down  the  Livingstone  River  to  the 
Atlantic  Ocean.  With  149  Illustrations,  and  Colored 
Maps.  2  vols.,  8vo,  Cloth,  $7  50;  Sheep,  $9  50; 
Half  Morocco,  $12  00. 

COOMASSIE  AND  MAGDALA:  The  Story  of  Two 
British  Campaigns  in  Africa.  With  Maps  and  Illus- 
trations. 8vo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

THE  STORY  OF  EMIN'S  RESCUE,  AS  TOLD  IN 
STANLEY'S  LETTERS.  With  Map  of  the  Route 
and  Three  Portraits.  8vo,  Cloth,  50  cents. 

SLAVERY  AND  THE  SLAVE  TRADE  IN 
AFRICA.  Illustrated.  32rao,  Cloth,  50  cents. 
(Black  and  White  Series.) 


HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS 

NEW    YORK    AND   LONDON 

J®~  Any  of  the  above  works  will  be  sent  by  mail,  postage  prepaid, 
to  any  part  of  tlie  United  States,  Canada,  or  Mexico,  on  receipt  of 
the  price. 


UCSB    LIBRARY 


511     1 


